Neo-Nazis split Croat community
Greg Roberts
The Australian
October 27, 2007
MELBOURNE’S Croatian community is under fire for hosting a rock concert for neo-Nazi skinheads, publishing anti-Semitic material on the internet and naming a building after fascist Croatian dictator Ante Pavelic.
The Melbourne Knights Soccer Club yesterday launched an extraordinary attack on its social arm, the Croatia Social Club, for hosting the October 13 concert by groups that incite violence and attacks against Jews and other minorities. “I am deeply disturbed that the good reputation of our football club has been tarnished by the social club’s incompetence,” Knights chairman Matt Tomas said.
The concert at the Knights’ North Sunshine complex was headlined by US neo-Nazi band Final War. The band describes itself as “defenders of the Reich”, and its songs boast: “We fight Jews”.
Australian skinhead band Fortress also played. Its song, Parasites, urges repatriation of immigrants: “If they don’t f..king like it, it’ll be in body bags”.
The concert was organised by the Australian chapters of neo-Nazi skinhead groups Blood and Honour and Southern Cross Hammer Skins. Group members in the US and Europe have been convicted of assaults, bombings and murders.
Anti-Semitic messages from the Knights’ Croatian fans are posted on the Knights Army Forum website. One posting says Jews would “sell their mothers for a dollar”.*
Melbourne campaigner Cam Smith said anti-racism activists alerted the Knights to the nature of the concert several hours before it started. “As soon as we found out, we contacted whoever we could at the Knights through phone numbers on their website,” Mr Smith said. “They weren’t interested. One of their people asked one of our people if he was a dirty Jew.”
Mr Tomas said he did not know who was attending the concert, but he would investigate Mr Smith’s claim that Knights members were contacted, adding: “I don’t associate with that sort of scum. I’m utterly disgusted about this.”
Mr Tomas said the concert was approved by the Croatia Social Club, a separate legal entity to the football club.
Contacted by The Weekend Australian, social club manager Catarina Malacic denied the event was held. “There was nothing on at the venue that night,” she said.
Later, club committee member Ivan Skunca confirmed the premises were booked for a concert, but said the club did not know who made the booking. “It was a mistake. Perhaps we had an obligation to check these people out and we didn’t. We apologise for that.”
B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission director Manny Waks said he was disturbed the concert was held in view of links between the Croatian community and neo-Nazi elements.
Mr Waks said the Croatia Club — a separate entity to the Knights’ social club — had ignored Jewish protests against the naming of its Footscray hall after Ustashi Nazi collaborator Ante Pavelic, who was responsible for the slaughter of 700,000 Serbs, Jews and Gypsies.
* Note that, while the Forum administrators have recently deleted a thread dedicated to discussing the gig, another thread includes the following comments, made in reaction to reports in the Jewish press that at a concert in Zagreb by Croatian rock * Thompson, large numbers of his fans greeted him with the fascist salute (Jews slam Croatia’s failure to condemn ‘Nazi’ concert, EJP, June 17, 2007):
- 1) cantona : “Dunno about you guys, but after reading that – it makes me wanna go to a [Thompson] concert and make fascist salutes even more! [Z]a dom!” (NB. The Ustaše greeting was “Za dom – spremni!”. Salute: Za dom! For home(land)! Reply: Spremni! (We are) ready!)
2) Imocanka : ‘”Hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, anti-fascist Croatians, Gypsies and others were killed by the Ustasha in the Croatian concentration camps.” [S]o we get condemned for doing the world a favour. [Anyhow], how do they actually know what we yell out at our concerts? [T]hey don[‘]t understand, it[‘]s all speculation[.]’
3) Bogdan Bonk : “Chelsea [Hajduk] are playing Caufield in this week[‘]s round. They are a [J]ewish club, so because of that they have to play on a Sunday. Every other game of the year is on [S]aturday, but because their [sic] Jewish, they play only on [S]undays. They want everything their own way! [H]itler = answer[.]”
4) Falcon Freak : “And the Jews wonder why so many people hate them…”
In the meantime, Thompson (Marko Perkovic) is playing to packed houses in New York:
Marko Perkovic is taking the stage November 2nd to literally sing praises of the Holocaust. The Croatian rocker goes by the stage name Thompson (for the American-issued Thompson sub-machine gun he carried as a soldier in the Croatian war)—and sings about the Ustaše, the Croation pro-Nazi regime that sent Jews, Serbs and Gypsies to concentration camps during WWII. The folk-metal musician is often greeted by audiences with a Nazi salute. He’s been kicked out of Canada and the Netherlands for hate speech, only to be welcomed by Manhattan’s own Croatian Center in Midtown…
Many fans deny Thompson is a fascist creep. Melbourne Croatia Social Club manager Catarina Malacic denies a neo-Nazi gig was held at the MCSC on the night of October 13. Others — like Welf Herfurth of the neo-Nazi New Right — deny that there was a Holocaust / Shoah…
I say:
- Fuck ’em all! Up the punx!
Croation [sic] Neo-Nazi Rocker To Perform in Midtown, Maria Luisa Tucker, The Village Voice, October 25, 2007 | Neo-Nazi Band Set To Play Amid Protests, Maruxa Relaño, New York Sun, October 24, 2007 | VPD looks into rock singer accused of hate crimes, Lloyd Dykk, Vancouver Sun, October 25, 2007 (“Croation Centre’s president defends ‘Thompson,’ saying things have been distorted”).
You Jew and Serb bastards made this concert in NYC even more worth going 2. ZA DOM: SPREMNI!
Simple anti-Croatianism. Fuck you Andy.
Joe,
Ya bollocks mate.
Steve,
No, it’s not simple. I’ve republished an article from The Australian by Greg Roberts. My name is not Greg Roberts; I did not author the article. Beyond this, you would need to explain what you mean before I take your accusation seriously. As it stands, I’m neither ‘for’ nor ‘against’ ‘Croatianism’. What I am, is committed to exposing the antics of local neo-Nazis, whose most recent foray into public relations has been conducted on behalf of the MCSC.
Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas.
Simple.
Note that Roberts says the concert split the Croatian community. He is plainly (and rightly) opposed to the pro-nazi part of the Croatian community, and supportive of the anti-nazi part of the Croatian community.
What’s your problem with that, Steve? Are you pro-nazi?
If a self-described ‘German community group’ called their club the Hitler Centre and people criticised this, would that be anti-Germanism too?
There is no nazi part to the Croat community. Ustasa does not equal nazi. My grandfather thought [fought?] in the Ustasa, does that now mean I’m a nazi all of a sudden?
Bullshit Andy. Talking about Thompson and quoting things [off] a forum, how does that have anything to do with the MCSC hosting a neo nazi event?
Steve,
An attraction to fascist politics is not a genetic trait. Thus, the fact that your grandfather fought for the Ustasa does not, in and of itself, imply anything at all with regards your own political perspective — which could just as easily be opposed to fascism.
At which point, two things.
The first issue has to do with the Melbourne Croatia Social Club (MCSC) hosting a neo-Nazi gig on the night of Saturday, October 13, 2007, starring Final War (Orange County, California, USA), Bail Up! / Fortress (Melbourne, Australia) and Quick & the Dead (Perth, Australia), organised by the local Australian franchises of two, international neo-Nazi networks, Blood & Honour (Australia) and the (Southern Cross) Hammerskins.
The second has to do with the nature of the Ustasa and their politics.
I’m happy to discuss the second issue, and ancillary issues (such as Thompson), providing you acknowledge the first. That is: do you agree with Matt Tomas, the Melbourne Knights chairman, that “the good reputation of our football club has been tarnished by the social club’s incompetence”? Further, as far as neo-Nazis — such as the ones who assembled at the MCSC on October 13 — are concerned, do you agree with Tomas that these people are in fact scum? On which basis, do you share his disgust? (“I don’t associate with that sort of scum. I’m utterly disgusted about this.”)
I ask because nothing you’ve written so far appears to take issue with the fact that neo-Nazi scum, who preach genocide, and whose members in other parts of the world are responsible for numerous violent criminal activity, up to and including murder, were granted permission to hold a gig at the grounds of the club you’ve previously declared you love. Instead, the entirety of your anger — “Fuck you Andy” — appears to be directed at myself. Please remember that I’m not the person responsible for allowing the swine to use MCSC facilities; someone at the MCSC is.
It’s called shooting the messenger.
Uh, even the Ustaše equated themselves as Nazi. Though it should be enough to say “Ustaše” and be horrified that anyone would attempt to defend them. And you know that Nazis view Croatians as racially inferior, right? Or are they not quoting that bit of Mein Kampf today?
It’s not anti-Croatianism; it’s pro-humanity.
I’m sorry, Steve, but if your grandfather fought for them, he was fighting for a group of fascists committed to genocide, a group of racists, bigots, anti-semites, mass murderers. If people were to talk of Nazis of Croatian background, this is what they would be referring to, and they would be right.
No, I don’t think your grandfather’s fascism is hereditary: the sins of the father should not be visited upon the son.
But my earlier comment wasn’t even about the Ustashi. I’m talking about the nazis who played a concert at a Croatian community club, with the support and protection of part of the community. That’s the pro-nazi part of the community, as far as I’m concerned. You seem to be in it.
I see you do a lot for the B’nai B’rith zion… organization. However, I ask you: what has ‘B’nai B’rith’ done for you?
Honestly Andy you really don’t read anything that I write. I’ve already said the MCSC are stupid for hosting the event. My arguments have been to leave the Knights out of it, but I have said all along that you can direct your anger at the MCSC as they are to blame. But you have not done that, all you have proceeded to do is firstly to slander the Melbourne Knights and then the Croatian community. And issues of the Ustasa and Thompson have absolutely nothing to do with the MCSC hosting a neo-Nazi event. To say it does is just a load of crap.
To Lumpen, you really [are] a silly twat. The Ustasa never equated itself to Nazism. Two different movements, with different ideology and goals.
To RPC my grandfather committed no sins, he fought for a free Croatia. And you really are clueless when it comes to the Croatian community. You talk about [it] as if you are an authority on the issue, you aren’t. All it shows is arrogance on your part.
Steve,
I’ve read what you’ve written, very carefully. Thus I’ve taken note of the fact that you’ve described the MCSC committee as “idiots” who “deserve to be held accountable”. Unfortunately, that’s the closest you’ve come, as a person who loves the Knights and who is also proud to be a part of the Croatian community in Melbourne, to condemning the neo-Nazi “scum” (as the Melbourne Knights’ President describes B&H and the SCHS). To put it another way: the bulk of your commentary has not been directed at questioning why on Earth the MCSC authorised a neo-Nazi event, but instead seeking to distance the Melbourne Knights from the MCSC, and, in addition, asserting an ‘anti-Croatian’ sentiment where none exists. More recently, you’ve asserted that “There is no nazi part to the Croat community” and that “Ustasa does not equal nazi”. In other words, you’re increasingly beginning to sound like a fascist apologist, whose main interest in this discussion is to limit any damage to the reputation of the Knights as a result of the ‘idiotic’ shenanigans of the MCSC. Obviously, this is less a principled opposition to neo-Nazi scum being able to use the facilities of the Croatian community to preach racial hatred, and more about combating negative PR.
On the subject of who it is that assumes responsibility for the gig, you keep asserting that it is unfair to target the Knights. What you don’t mention is that, to this point, on the one hand the MCSC DENIES THE GIG EVER HAPPENED (social club manager Catarina Malacic), and on the other hand, CLAIMS IT WAS COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THE NATURE OF THE EVENT (club committee member Ivan Skunca). Both cannot be correct. Obviously, the gig happened, Malacic is lying, and Skunca is attempting to disavow any responsibility.
How did this situation come about? Through applying pressure: on the MCSC, Melbourne Knights, FFV, and other groups associated with the club. Directly, through protest, and through the media. In other words, what you singularly fail to acknowledge is that if it weren’t for the efforts of a number of different people, the ‘issue’ wouldn’t be an ‘issue’ at all: from noting that the event was to take place, to tracking down its location, to seeking confirmation directly from the MCSC (they LIED), to raising the issue with others, PRECISELY IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH WHO IS RESPONSIBLE.
So:
I accept that the Melbourne Knights did not authorise the gig, and that the MCSC did. The issue is: what now? Is it acceptable for the MCSC to support neo-Nazism? If not, what is the MCSC going to do in order to make reparations? If it is, what attitude should the general public — including the Melbourne Knights, who continue to have a close association with the MCSC — adopt towards the MCSC? Ultimately, this is a political question, which is why I previously asked for your honest commentary on the subject.
The Ustasha certainly fought for a Croatia free from Serbs and Jews, if that is what you mean, and the ‘Independent State of Croatia’ was very closely allied with the Nazis. While the clerical fascism of the Ustasha’s reactionary Catholic, genocidal agenda was not identical to the German party’s Nazism by any means, the commitment to death camps and mass murder as means of ethnic and religious cleansing was equally strong.
I can understand that you might not want to think that your grandfather was doing anything beyond struggling for ‘national independence’, but, while I don’t really want to be insensitive, whitewashing the Ustasha amounts to what would now be called ‘holocaust denial’.
Mick,
B’nai B’rith supply me with wheelbarrows full of gold, hot Aryan chicks by the score, and copious amounts of drugs and alcohol. But ssshhh, don’t tell anyone: it’s a conspiracy!
Weeeelll Steve, let’s see; the Ustaše fought alongside the Nazis, self-identified as fascist, were genocidal maniacs, perpetuated delusions of racial purity and hierarchy, wanted to fit in with Nazi ideology enough to invent a bullshit story about the origins of Croats. Oh, but they had different uniforms and didn’t live in Germany. My bad.
Besides all of which, it’s a distraction from the issue at hand. I think you’re creating a strawman argument (about whether the Ustaše can accurately be labelled “Nazi” etc).
The Knights have come out and done the right thing – more, in fact, than you ever gave them credit for. You have consistently claimed they were never going to do anything because a) “A sporting body [has no] influence over an ethnic community social club” and b) “Knights and the FFV don’t have to do anything.”
Yet the clubs themselves have explicitly contradicted this and more. Rather than congratulating the Knights, FFV and FFA on doing the right thing, you are focusing your energy on trying to find “anti-Croatian” sentiment and correcting the historical record on the relative merit of Ustaše vs Nazis, as if it changes the substance of any argument (it doesn’t). In other words, your argument has been superseded by events.
Wouldn’t your time be better spent focusing on the completely batshit anti-semitism that seems to be dogging the Knights? All that shit on the Knights forums must be an embarrassment, and as a dedicated fan there’s probably a lot more you can do about that than what a few anti-racists write on a fairly obscure blog (no offense Andy). You know, if you were that way inclined.
Not to mention how Pavelic sold out Dalmatia to Italians. They were ‘freed’ alright…
By the way Steve:
(yepyep) you mean Pavelic who Thompson sings praises to in Lijepa li si? Pro Ustashe #@!kers are especially concentrated along the coastal cities of Dalmatia and you see ‘U’ graffiti all over cities like Split. That isn’t to say that the majority of Splicani are like Ustashe, most would rather just forget the past or ignore bastards like Perkovic. The real problem is with the youth, the indelible youth who just want something to believe in. Those who lived through the times of the Ustashe should be teaching about the past. Mesic has done this to some extent, they have even re-opened the museum at Jasenovac last year, but what message does it send when state sponsored TV broadcasts a Thompson concert with the crowd of kids wearing their Ustashe caps (who the F%#@ still makes those)… it made me sick!!!
I spent the last year and a half living in Croatia, and time and again, the single most bothersome aspect of life there has been those anonymous supporters of the Ustashe. There is always an excuse given when it comes up in conversation. Often my friends are embarrassed by it, but they simply don’t get it.
There should be no excuse for those crimes, not for the Interahamwe, not for the Khmer Rouge, not for the Janjaween militias, certainly not for the Nazis, not for the Ustashe, nor for Tito’s Paritsans (they exacted brutal retribution against the indigenous German, Italian, Hungarian, and Albanian populations. In the cases of the Germans and Italians in particular, most of those who were not killed by the Partisans or did not flee were expelled, including the “Schwaben” from Vojvodina and the Italians from Dalmatia and Istria, whose families had lived in those areas for centuries).
There is a lesson in logic still to be learned by many Croats. You can take pride in one’s nation, in one’s right to be a sovereign nation without embracing of history. Just because the Ustashe fought for an independent Croatia (OK a semi-autonomous state which could not blink without Germany or Italy’s approval) does not mean it was inherently good. The rights and freedoms which Croats have today certainly would not have existed if Fascism survived.
in the meantime there have been no reported deaths of any jew in australia because of anti-semitic hatred, but in palestine the jews are committing murder every day in the name of israel. you guys make me sick, who cares what happened in ww2, that’s the past.
bob, the grade two debating competition is actually being held in the room down the hall, not this one. run along now.
I used to be a Melbourne Knights supporter but because of no-brainer incidents such as this I have stopped going to the club.
Let me enlighten all the fools on this forum once and for all about the Croatian army in ww2 (ustasa).
Ustasa fought for freedom against serbo – communism which had been suppressing croatian people for 50 years.
Yes, Croatia was allied with germany but her motives were for freedom pure and simple – germany was a means to an end. If wanting to be free makes you a nazi or fascist, then we’ll happily wear that tag.
The alleged ustasa attrocities that croatia’s enemies continuously bring up in these types of forum are utter rubbish. The reports are based entirely on serbo-communist & jewish propaganda over the last 60 years.
How many un-armed croatians (military & civil) were slaughtered or death marched in 1945 – you never hear about that – over 300,000!
Ustasa were freedom fighters pure and simple.
Ah, those serbo-communists with their lies about attempted genocide and mass murder – will they ever stop? Persuading the entire world (except for the unbiased truth seekers of the Ustasha) of those sheer fantasies about Pavelic et al, based on nothing more than evidence and a ridiculous obsession with facts.
And those jews!
We killed Christ, you know, the whiny little shit. It was just one of those things, a party gets out of control… Actually it was my dad, he made a deathbed confession about him, the teller at the local bank, Trotsky, and a couple of the kind of rabbis you see hanging around cemeteries in the middle of the night…he caught them tagging and spraying “ban the ordination of men!” on the bust of Stepinac out the front of the Croatian Catholic Community Centre in Clifton Hill…push turns to shove, tempers flare, suddenly there’s hard-to-shift stains on the carpet…
Ben Rosenzweig
Oh dear. The Internet is a great tool to help discover the truth. The only problem being … the brain washed millions who refuse to accept reality.
@ndy and some of his friends are no better than any general from any conflict. They start a shit fight get everyone worked up and let the working class sort it out.
Yes @ndy has no problems at all about calling the Anarchist[s] out for a demo, and yet he never shows up. He is too important; his identity can never be compromised. (Well soon anyway). These young and free minds of your comrades @ndy are just cannon fo[d]der to you.
I respect the fact that you and some of your friends are dedicated to a cause. But you have shown that you have lost [sight] of the big picture. There is no easy fix. Self-appointed spokesmen like you are too weak to make the same sacrifices as the people you support. You disrespect the efforts of the common man who truly desire[s] change for the greater good. @ndy you are a victim of your own beliefs.
This whole slackbastard blog is just another left wing sideshow. While you run around chasing Nazis you sidetrack yourself from the goal you wish to achieve. You have created a nice little diversion for the uneducated.
Just think about it. It’s not hard. You are neither a leader nor a spokesman. You are just a silly 30 something man with some serious ego issues that will cause you more grief than it’s worth.
You haters of patriotic Croats. Our day will come!
ZDS!
NIKO KAO MELBOURNE CROATIA!
=U= ZA DOM SPREMNI =U=
My family were Ustasa. And I am so proud to wear that flag today and will never stop wearing it. They are hero’s they are the true Hrvat. Its sad that they lost the war but there memory will live on forever. Za Dom Spremni to everybody.