Croatian diaspora child, worried about fascism and trying to understand what’s happening in Croatia.
I hope this is okay to ask here.
I’m part of the Croatian diaspora. My dad was born in Dalmatia during WWII, my grandfather fought with the Partisans against fascism, and my dad emigrated in the 1970s. My mum is from a completely different minority ethnic background, so I grew up as the child of two diasporas in an Anglo-colonial country. As a result, I don’t always have a good sense of what’s happening in either of my parents’ homelands.
I know some of the history of Yugoslavia and the wars of the 1990s, but I’m much less familiar with contemporary Croatia. My dad still sees himself as Yugoslav, and despite never having experienced Yugoslavia myself, I’ve always felt a strong sense of yugonostalgia. Some of my earliest memories are listening to Srebrna Krila with my dad.
What worries me is what appears, from the outside, to be a growing visibility of far-right Croatian nationalism. Seeing references to ZDS around football, hearing about Thompson, and seeing the white-first checkerboard used by some supporters and diaspora soccer clubs leaves me unsure what I’m looking at. When I try to research these things, I find very conflicting explanations.
Unfortunately, Ustaša symbolism is sometimes visible in my country of birth, largely because most people here don’t know the history or recognise the references. I don’t want to unknowingly participate in or lend legitimacy to that sort of politics.
With the current World Cup I want to celebrate Croatia’s wins, but not if that means giving traction to fascist symbolism. I also support Bosnia and don’t see those loyalties as being mutually exclusive.
So my questions are:
Is the apparent rise in far-right sentiment in Croatia representative of society as a whole, or is it a relatively small but loud and highly visible minority?
How are symbols like the white-first šahovnica generally understood in Croatia today? Is it really just another version of the flag?
Should diaspora Croatians be cautious about certain clubs or organisations, particularly amateur football clubs, that use these symbols?
How do Croatians who oppose the rehabilitation fascism navigate all of this?
I’m asking in good faith because I’d rather hear nuanced answers from people familiar with the region than rely on Google or social media. Thank you in advance to anyone willing to share their insights. 🙏