(english / italiano)
In Croazia si erigono monumenti ai nazisti
(2 - Vedi la prima parte su:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3739 )
1. Wiesenthal Center protests erection of monument honoring World War
II Croatian minister Mile Budak
2. Nazi collaborator memorials protested (The Jerusalem Post)
3. Croatians weep as Nazi pride is erased (The Telegraph)
4. Un (parziale) epilogo della vicenda: IRA BELGRADO PER TARGA A BUDAK
/ RIMOSSA TARGA DEDICATA A NAZISTA
Vedi anche:
Croazia: minacce neonaziste
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3692
=== 1 ===
http://www.wiesenthal.com/social/press/pr_print.cfm?ItemId=9807
August 26, 2004
WIESENTHAL CENTER PROTESTS ERECTION OF MONUMENT HONORING WORLD WAR II
CROATIAN MINISTER MILE BUDAK
The Simon Wiesenthal Center today issued an official protest against
the recent erection in the Croatian village of Sveti Rok of a monument
honoring Mile Budak, who served as Minister of Education in the Fascist
Ustasha regime which governed Croatia during World War II.
In a letter sent to Croatian ambassador to Israel Ivan Del Vechio, the
Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff condemned the erection of
the monument and urged the Croatian authorities to take whatever
measures were necessary to remove it as quickly as possible.
According to Zuroff:
“I am certain that you fully realize the implication of such step which
seeks to glorify a person who was an active member of the Ustasha
government which carried out a policy of genocide against Serbs, Jews,
and Gypsies during World War II.”
“The Wiesenthal Center urges the Croatian authorities to take whatever
steps are necessary to remove this monument as quickly as possible. It
not only constitutes a blatant attempt by Croatian extremists to
distort the history of World War II, but also is deeply insulting to
the victims of Ustasha violence, their families and all persons of good
conscience. In that context, we fully support the declaration by
Croatian President Stipe Mesic who denounced the monument and called
for its prompt removal.”
For more information call: 972-51-214156
=== 2 ===
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/
Printer&cid=1093489827763&p=1078113566627
Nazi collaborator memorials protested
ETGAR LEFKOVITS, THE JERUSALEM POST
Aug. 26, 2004
The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center on Thursday issued two
protests against the recent erection of monuments in Estonia and
Croatia which commemorate Nazi collaborators during WWII.
The Estonian monument honors an Estonian SS Division which fought
alongside Nazi Germany, while the Croatian monument honors a member of
Croatia's quisling regime who was an active participant in crimes
against humanity.
Both monuments were put up in the last two weeks.
In a statement, the director of center's Jerusalem office, Dr. Efraim
Zuroff condemned the erection of the Estonian monument "which glorifies
those who were willing to sacrifice their lives to help achieve the
victory of Nazi Germany."
He added that the monument's inscription, which calls the soldiers
"fighters for Estonian Independence" was a misguided attempt to rewrite
history and to turn Nazi collaborators into Estonian heroes.
More than 1,000 Estonian Jews perished during the Holocaust, while
thousands of Jews sent from other countries were killed in Estonia.
The Estonian Consulate in Tel Aviv had no immediate comment.
Zuroff said that the establishment of such a monument in Estonia was
hardly surprising in a country which has failed to prosecute a single
Estonian Nazi war criminal to date, and in which a public opinion poll
revealed that 93% of the Estonian public oppose the establishment of a
memorial day for the victims of the Holocaust.
Separately, the Wiesenthal center on Thursday also condemned the
erection of a monument in a Croatian village honoring a member of
Croatia's WWII quisling regime.
The plaque commemorating Mile Budak, who served as education minister
in dictator Ante Pavelic's 1941-45 government, was erected within the
last two weeks in the Croatian village of Sveti Rok.
The Croatian government has condemned the monument and called for its
prompt removal.
It was not immediately clear who had put the monument up, but a group
of Croatian emigrants living in Canada and Australia with apparent
Ustasha sympathies has recently said they were considering erecting
such a monument.
During WWII, Croats were divided between anti-Fascists who fought
against the Nazis, and those loyal to Pavelic's quisling state.
About 30,000 Croatian Jews – 80 percent of the country's pre-war Jewish
population – perished during the Holocaust.
Zuroff said that both monuments were symptomatic of a general
post-Communist post-Soviet eastern European problem, whereby the evils
of communism are highlighted at the expense of their complicity with
the crimes of the Holocaust.
This article can also be read at
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/
ShowFull&cid=1093489827763&p=1078113566627
Copyright 1995-2004 The Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com/
=== 3 ===
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/28/
wcroat28.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/08/28/ixworld.html
The Telegraph (Britain) - August 28, 2004
Croatians weep as Nazi pride is erased
By Our Foreign Staff
Two plaques erected in Croatia to commemorate
officials from Nazi times were removed amid heavy
police security yesterday on the orders of the Zagreb
government.
It was the first such "de-Nazification" action since
the country became independent in 1991.
A plaque erected last week to honour Mile Budak, a
writer who served as education minister in Croatia's
Nazi-allied Ustasha government of 1941-45, was removed
by workers in Lovinac, central Croatia.
Budak signed into force racial laws under which the
Ustasha regime executed thousands of Jews, Serbs and
gipsies.
The plaque was paid for by a group of emigres, mostly
hard-liners who fled to Australia and Canada in 1945.
It attracted criticism from the government, human
rights groups and the Roman Catholic Church.
The other plaque to be removed honoured the Ustasha
military commander Jure Francetic, the founder of the
notorious Black Legion that fought in Bosnia. It was
put up in the central town of Slunj two years ago.
The government ordered their removal at a meeting late
on Thursday. The cabinet also asked the justice
ministry to draft amendments to the penal code to ban
the promotion of all totalitarian ideologies,
including communism and fascism.
The Ustasha era is seen elsewhere as a black mark on
Croatia's history. But few Croatians show shame about
the country's support for Hitler.
Several villagers in Lovinac wept as workers took away
the black marble plaque to Budak under an escort
provided by special forces police.
The nationalist government that ruled the country
between independence and 2000 was often accused of
whitewashing Ustasha crimes and re-installing some of
its symbols.
However, Croatia is preparing for talks next year on
membership of the European Union and is eager to prove
that its record on human rights and democracy matches
the criteria demanded by Brussels.
=== 4 ===
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/croazia/croazia.shtml
SERBIA/MONTENEGRO-CROAZIA: IRA BELGRADO PER TARGA A BUDAK
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 26 AGO - Il ministero degli esteri serbomontenegrino
ha ufficialmente protestato presso Zagabria per l'inaugurazione, il 21
agosto scorso, di una targa alla memoria del defunto ministro Mile
Budak, considerato a Belgrado il teorico del movimento filo-nazista
ustascia al potere in Croazia durante la seconda guerra mondiale. La
targa, posta nel villaggio di Sveti Rok sul monte Velebit (luogo di
nascita di Budak), era stata commissionata da emigrati croati in
Australia e in Canada, e aveva sollevato critiche anche fra le
autorita' di Zagabria, particolarmente da parte del presidente Stipe
Mesic. L'Associazione dei croati antifascisti aveva anche paragonato
Budak al ministro della propaganda nazista Josef Goebbles. Budak,
ministro della cultura sotto il regime ustascia, venne condannato e
giustiziato nel 1945 dai partigiani di Josif Broz Tito, con l'accusa di
crimini di guerra. Era stato responsabile delle leggi razziali croate
che avevano portato allo sterminio di centinaia di migliaia di persone,
principalmente serbi ma anche ebrei, zingari, oppositori politici.
L'ambasciatore croato a Belgrado Tonci Stancic e' stato convocato al
ministero degli esteri serbomontenegrino per chiarimenti. Le autorita'
serbe chiedono la rapida rimozione della targa incriminata. (ANSA). OT
26/08/2004 17:30
SERBIA/MONTENEGRO-CROAZIA: RIMOSSA TARGA DEDICATA A NAZISTA
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 27 AGO - Le autorita' croate hanno fatto rimuovere
la targa dedicata al defunto ministro della propaganda ustascia
(filonazista) Mile Budak, la cui inaugurazione aveva provocato una
dura protesta di Belgrado. Lo hanno annunciato oggi le agenzie
belgradesi Beta e Fonet. Le agenzie hano sottolineato la
dichiarazione del primo ministro croato Ivo Sanader: ''Il mio governo
non permettera' al paese di perdere tempo su temi del passato,
soprattutto sulle pagine negative''. Budak, giustiziato nel 1945
dai partigiani di Josif Broz Tito, e' ritenuto in Serbia l'ideologo
del movimento filonazista ustascia che domino' la Croazia della
Seconda guerra mondiale, e fu l'autore delle leggi razziali che hanno
portato alla morte di centinaia di migliaia di persone, fra serbi,
ebrei, rom e oppositori politici. Il 21 agosto un gruppo di
emigrati croati in Australia e in Canada aveva organizzato la
cerimonia di inaugurazione della targa nel villaggio di Sveti Rok,
sul monte Velebit, luogo di nascita di Budak. Ieri il ministero degli
esteri serbomontenegrino aveva indirizzato a Zagabria una protesta
ufficiale. (ANSA). OT 27/08/2004 14:23
NOTA DEL CNJ: probabilmente, assai piu' delle proteste di Belgrado, per
la rimozione del monumento al nazista Budak hanno pesato le prese di
posizione molto dure provenienti da Centro Wiesenthal e da Israele,
documentate piu' sopra.
In Croazia si erigono monumenti ai nazisti
(2 - Vedi la prima parte su:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3739 )
1. Wiesenthal Center protests erection of monument honoring World War
II Croatian minister Mile Budak
2. Nazi collaborator memorials protested (The Jerusalem Post)
3. Croatians weep as Nazi pride is erased (The Telegraph)
4. Un (parziale) epilogo della vicenda: IRA BELGRADO PER TARGA A BUDAK
/ RIMOSSA TARGA DEDICATA A NAZISTA
Vedi anche:
Croazia: minacce neonaziste
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3692
=== 1 ===
http://www.wiesenthal.com/social/press/pr_print.cfm?ItemId=9807
August 26, 2004
WIESENTHAL CENTER PROTESTS ERECTION OF MONUMENT HONORING WORLD WAR II
CROATIAN MINISTER MILE BUDAK
The Simon Wiesenthal Center today issued an official protest against
the recent erection in the Croatian village of Sveti Rok of a monument
honoring Mile Budak, who served as Minister of Education in the Fascist
Ustasha regime which governed Croatia during World War II.
In a letter sent to Croatian ambassador to Israel Ivan Del Vechio, the
Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff condemned the erection of
the monument and urged the Croatian authorities to take whatever
measures were necessary to remove it as quickly as possible.
According to Zuroff:
“I am certain that you fully realize the implication of such step which
seeks to glorify a person who was an active member of the Ustasha
government which carried out a policy of genocide against Serbs, Jews,
and Gypsies during World War II.”
“The Wiesenthal Center urges the Croatian authorities to take whatever
steps are necessary to remove this monument as quickly as possible. It
not only constitutes a blatant attempt by Croatian extremists to
distort the history of World War II, but also is deeply insulting to
the victims of Ustasha violence, their families and all persons of good
conscience. In that context, we fully support the declaration by
Croatian President Stipe Mesic who denounced the monument and called
for its prompt removal.”
For more information call: 972-51-214156
=== 2 ===
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/
Printer&cid=1093489827763&p=1078113566627
Nazi collaborator memorials protested
ETGAR LEFKOVITS, THE JERUSALEM POST
Aug. 26, 2004
The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center on Thursday issued two
protests against the recent erection of monuments in Estonia and
Croatia which commemorate Nazi collaborators during WWII.
The Estonian monument honors an Estonian SS Division which fought
alongside Nazi Germany, while the Croatian monument honors a member of
Croatia's quisling regime who was an active participant in crimes
against humanity.
Both monuments were put up in the last two weeks.
In a statement, the director of center's Jerusalem office, Dr. Efraim
Zuroff condemned the erection of the Estonian monument "which glorifies
those who were willing to sacrifice their lives to help achieve the
victory of Nazi Germany."
He added that the monument's inscription, which calls the soldiers
"fighters for Estonian Independence" was a misguided attempt to rewrite
history and to turn Nazi collaborators into Estonian heroes.
More than 1,000 Estonian Jews perished during the Holocaust, while
thousands of Jews sent from other countries were killed in Estonia.
The Estonian Consulate in Tel Aviv had no immediate comment.
Zuroff said that the establishment of such a monument in Estonia was
hardly surprising in a country which has failed to prosecute a single
Estonian Nazi war criminal to date, and in which a public opinion poll
revealed that 93% of the Estonian public oppose the establishment of a
memorial day for the victims of the Holocaust.
Separately, the Wiesenthal center on Thursday also condemned the
erection of a monument in a Croatian village honoring a member of
Croatia's WWII quisling regime.
The plaque commemorating Mile Budak, who served as education minister
in dictator Ante Pavelic's 1941-45 government, was erected within the
last two weeks in the Croatian village of Sveti Rok.
The Croatian government has condemned the monument and called for its
prompt removal.
It was not immediately clear who had put the monument up, but a group
of Croatian emigrants living in Canada and Australia with apparent
Ustasha sympathies has recently said they were considering erecting
such a monument.
During WWII, Croats were divided between anti-Fascists who fought
against the Nazis, and those loyal to Pavelic's quisling state.
About 30,000 Croatian Jews – 80 percent of the country's pre-war Jewish
population – perished during the Holocaust.
Zuroff said that both monuments were symptomatic of a general
post-Communist post-Soviet eastern European problem, whereby the evils
of communism are highlighted at the expense of their complicity with
the crimes of the Holocaust.
This article can also be read at
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/
ShowFull&cid=1093489827763&p=1078113566627
Copyright 1995-2004 The Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com/
=== 3 ===
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/28/
wcroat28.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/08/28/ixworld.html
The Telegraph (Britain) - August 28, 2004
Croatians weep as Nazi pride is erased
By Our Foreign Staff
Two plaques erected in Croatia to commemorate
officials from Nazi times were removed amid heavy
police security yesterday on the orders of the Zagreb
government.
It was the first such "de-Nazification" action since
the country became independent in 1991.
A plaque erected last week to honour Mile Budak, a
writer who served as education minister in Croatia's
Nazi-allied Ustasha government of 1941-45, was removed
by workers in Lovinac, central Croatia.
Budak signed into force racial laws under which the
Ustasha regime executed thousands of Jews, Serbs and
gipsies.
The plaque was paid for by a group of emigres, mostly
hard-liners who fled to Australia and Canada in 1945.
It attracted criticism from the government, human
rights groups and the Roman Catholic Church.
The other plaque to be removed honoured the Ustasha
military commander Jure Francetic, the founder of the
notorious Black Legion that fought in Bosnia. It was
put up in the central town of Slunj two years ago.
The government ordered their removal at a meeting late
on Thursday. The cabinet also asked the justice
ministry to draft amendments to the penal code to ban
the promotion of all totalitarian ideologies,
including communism and fascism.
The Ustasha era is seen elsewhere as a black mark on
Croatia's history. But few Croatians show shame about
the country's support for Hitler.
Several villagers in Lovinac wept as workers took away
the black marble plaque to Budak under an escort
provided by special forces police.
The nationalist government that ruled the country
between independence and 2000 was often accused of
whitewashing Ustasha crimes and re-installing some of
its symbols.
However, Croatia is preparing for talks next year on
membership of the European Union and is eager to prove
that its record on human rights and democracy matches
the criteria demanded by Brussels.
=== 4 ===
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/croazia/croazia.shtml
SERBIA/MONTENEGRO-CROAZIA: IRA BELGRADO PER TARGA A BUDAK
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 26 AGO - Il ministero degli esteri serbomontenegrino
ha ufficialmente protestato presso Zagabria per l'inaugurazione, il 21
agosto scorso, di una targa alla memoria del defunto ministro Mile
Budak, considerato a Belgrado il teorico del movimento filo-nazista
ustascia al potere in Croazia durante la seconda guerra mondiale. La
targa, posta nel villaggio di Sveti Rok sul monte Velebit (luogo di
nascita di Budak), era stata commissionata da emigrati croati in
Australia e in Canada, e aveva sollevato critiche anche fra le
autorita' di Zagabria, particolarmente da parte del presidente Stipe
Mesic. L'Associazione dei croati antifascisti aveva anche paragonato
Budak al ministro della propaganda nazista Josef Goebbles. Budak,
ministro della cultura sotto il regime ustascia, venne condannato e
giustiziato nel 1945 dai partigiani di Josif Broz Tito, con l'accusa di
crimini di guerra. Era stato responsabile delle leggi razziali croate
che avevano portato allo sterminio di centinaia di migliaia di persone,
principalmente serbi ma anche ebrei, zingari, oppositori politici.
L'ambasciatore croato a Belgrado Tonci Stancic e' stato convocato al
ministero degli esteri serbomontenegrino per chiarimenti. Le autorita'
serbe chiedono la rapida rimozione della targa incriminata. (ANSA). OT
26/08/2004 17:30
SERBIA/MONTENEGRO-CROAZIA: RIMOSSA TARGA DEDICATA A NAZISTA
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 27 AGO - Le autorita' croate hanno fatto rimuovere
la targa dedicata al defunto ministro della propaganda ustascia
(filonazista) Mile Budak, la cui inaugurazione aveva provocato una
dura protesta di Belgrado. Lo hanno annunciato oggi le agenzie
belgradesi Beta e Fonet. Le agenzie hano sottolineato la
dichiarazione del primo ministro croato Ivo Sanader: ''Il mio governo
non permettera' al paese di perdere tempo su temi del passato,
soprattutto sulle pagine negative''. Budak, giustiziato nel 1945
dai partigiani di Josif Broz Tito, e' ritenuto in Serbia l'ideologo
del movimento filonazista ustascia che domino' la Croazia della
Seconda guerra mondiale, e fu l'autore delle leggi razziali che hanno
portato alla morte di centinaia di migliaia di persone, fra serbi,
ebrei, rom e oppositori politici. Il 21 agosto un gruppo di
emigrati croati in Australia e in Canada aveva organizzato la
cerimonia di inaugurazione della targa nel villaggio di Sveti Rok,
sul monte Velebit, luogo di nascita di Budak. Ieri il ministero degli
esteri serbomontenegrino aveva indirizzato a Zagabria una protesta
ufficiale. (ANSA). OT 27/08/2004 14:23
NOTA DEL CNJ: probabilmente, assai piu' delle proteste di Belgrado, per
la rimozione del monumento al nazista Budak hanno pesato le prese di
posizione molto dure provenienti da Centro Wiesenthal e da Israele,
documentate piu' sopra.