The opposition on Thursday strongly criticised HDZ MP Danica Baricevic's statement that Zagreb is full of "these dark, small, black" foreign workers, saying it constitutes hate speech, xenophobia and intolerance as well as the ruling party's real opinion of migrants.

In making such statements, it would be good to refrain from physical descriptions of people who came to Croatia to work and compensate for the labour shortage caused by emigration, said Arsen Bauk of the Social Democratic Party.

Immigration policies and foreign workers, both legal and legal, are a top political topic in many EU countries, but not yet in Croatia, although this is becoming an increasingly important political topic and it would be good for the government and the competent ministry to pay more attention to it, he added.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic does not care about Croatian citizens at all and caring about one’s own people is the first task, said Marin Miletic of the Most party.

In 2015, a million migrants passed through Croatia and 205 applied for asylum, while 60,4000 applied for asylum over ten months last year, which is a concrete indicator that our society is changing, he said, lamenting that Croatia has no strategy for the social integration of foreign workers.

Baricevic’s statement is horrifying and shows the current state of society, said Anka Mrak-Taritas of GLAS.

Baricevic’s statement shows the difference between the HDZ’s official and hidden policies on foreign workers, Katarina Peovic of the Workers’ Front said, adding that the HDZ policy combines brutal xenophobia and economic liberalism.

MP says her statement was ‘maliciously interpreted’

Baricevic elaborated on her statement in a Facebook post today, saying that it was “maliciously interpreted and it does not correspond to my views,” and that “a huge majority of foreign workers in Croatia are very polite and disciplined.”