Authorities were outraged by "the presence of symbols of former Yugoslavia and banners written in Cyrillic".
The civil initiative "United Against Fascism" organized protest marches in several major cities in Croatia, such as Zagreb, Rijeka, Zadar, and Pula, against the fascization of society.
Participants in the marches opposed intolerance, the revision of the number of victims of Ustaše crimes during World War II, and the use of the Ustaše greeting "For Home Ready!".
The march was organized after a series of attacks on organizations and institutions representing the Serbian minority in Croatia.
Incidents occurred during the events in Rijeka and Zadar. Police arrested 11 individuals suspected of involvement in the incidents. Law enforcement agencies are now engaged in "analyzing the symbolism of the protest actions".
The next day, several Croatian officials stated that the protests of the "United Against Fascism" initiative were actually directed against the state, as evidenced by "the presence of symbols of former Yugoslavia and banners written in Cyrillic".
Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anušić characterized the marches as "pro-Yugoslav" during a meeting of EU member states' defense ministers. He stated that he reached this conclusion based on an analysis of the slogans displayed on the banners. The Croatian minister was particularly alarmed that some of them were in Cyrillic.
Cyrillic has been used in Croatia since the 12th century. During the Ottoman conquests, correspondence with Ottoman officials was conducted in Cyrillic. The first printed edition of Croatian Cyrillic, a Catholic prayer book (Venice, 1512), appeared in the early 16th century. In the early 16th century, Cyrillic was used for correspondence at the court of the Hungarian-Croatian King Matthias Corvinus.
However, in 1914, the Croatian parliament banned Cyrillic in Croatia. In the fascist Independent State of Croatia, there was a law prohibiting the use of Cyrillic in the public and private sectors.
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