Matija Hunjadi
Today, August 23, is the European Day of Remembrance for the Victims
of All Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes – Nazism, Fascism and Communism.
The European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of All Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes was established by the Declaration of the European Parliament on the Proclamation of the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communism and National Socialism on September 23, 2008, and was confirmed by the Resolution of the European Parliament on European Conscience and Totalitarianism of April 2, 2009.
With the entry into force of the new Act on Holidays, Memorial Days and Non-Working Days in the Republic of Croatia on January 1, 2020, this memorial day is marked under the name European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of All Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes – Nazism, Fascism and Communism.
Why was this date chosen?
Modern civilized Europe chose this date because on August 23, 1939, the pact on the division of Europe was concluded by the two worst criminal systems in the history of Europe – National Socialism and Communism.
Then a secret non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR, also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (Hitler-Stalin Pact) was signed in Moscow by Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov and German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. The mutual non-aggression pact was in force for almost two years until the start of Operation Barbarossa, on June 22, 1941, when Germany attacked the USSR. This agreement also included a secret protocol that divided the spheres of interest of the communists and the Nazis (National Socialists) over the whole of Europe.
As a result of this agreement, all of the listed countries were attacked and occupied, either by Nazi Germany or by the communist USSR. Only Finland, which fought twice with the Soviet Union during World War II, managed to preserve its independence, but was forced to cede the Finnish people's territories to communist imperialism in the east of the country (Karelia).
The consequences of this agreement are terrible. Over 40 million people were killed in the USSR and Europe. It is interesting to note that after the end of World War II, Europe remained divided according to the same agreement, even though fascist Italy and National Socialist Germany lost the war. The declared winners are capitalist America, imperialist Great Britain and their satellite, the communist Soviet Union.
A monument to the victims of totalitarianism is planned in Brussels
The purpose of the commemoration is stated, among other things, in point 21 of the Resolution, which emphasizes that Europe's tragic past should continue to serve as a moral and political inspiration for facing the challenges of today, including the fight for a more just world, thus creating open and tolerant societies and communities that accept ethnic and religious minorities, applying European values to all.
In order to further promote a common European culture of remembrance, a pan-European monument to the victims of totalitarianism is planned to be built in Brussels, which will pay tribute to the millions who died under the undemocratic ideologies of the 20th century – the victims of fascism, Nazism and communism.
At this week's session, the Croatian Government decided to participate in the construction of the monument with a financial contribution of 70,000 euros. "The Platform of European Remembrance and Conscience is responsible for implementing the project to build the monument, and the monument will be located in Brussels, a city symbol of European unity, democracy and common values, in a location right next to the EU institutions," said Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman.
And what will the Croatian Government do for the victims of Bleiburg and the Stations of the Cross, 81 years after the terrible crime committed by Yugoslav partisans against the Croatian people?
In Croatia, there is a law that strictly punishes Ustasha, Nazi and fascist symbols, but when it comes to communist symbols, suddenly "freedom of expression", "historical context" and "we can't ban everything" appear. This is no coincidence. This is the result of decades of the dominant narrative in most media, academia, the left and parts of the Croatian clergy of the so-called Strossmayerites, that communism "was good, it was just poorly implemented" or that it is "anti-fascist" and therefore everything is forgiven. The result is double standards that insult the numerous victims of communism just as they would insult the victims of Nazism or fascism.
In April of this year, at a session of the County Assembly of the Split-Dalmatia County, SDP councilor Ružica Jakšić joined her fashion-conscious friends who send certain messages to political opponents with their fashion choices, and appeared with a badge in the shape of a red five-pointed star pinned to her clothes. Should we understand this Soviet-type gesture as a wish for us to return to the darkness of the Stalin period? The red five-pointed star in Croatia can not only be associated with the period of repression of communist Yugoslavia, but also with the aggression against Croatia in 1991, since the JNA army and Serbian paramilitary formations used this very symbol. It is the symbol under which 402 children were killed in Croatia during the Serbian aggression of 1991-1995. For Croatian defenders and families of victims of Serbian aggression, the five-pointed star is a seal of suffering. Cities were destroyed, civilians were killed, children were taken away, hospitals, churches and schools were demolished under this symbol.
In Croatia, events such as wearing a red five-pointed star as a "fashion accessory" in the county assembly are tolerated without official reaction from the authorities, despite European resolutions and blind devotion to "our values". A state that ignores the five-pointed star in public institutions shows a brazen selectivity that is seen by all the nations of the former Eastern Bloc, who have gone through communism and are justifiably trying to equate it with fascism and Nazism in their memories and laws. Croatia, given its own history, should be closer to the Baltic or Ukrainian model of consistency on this issue. Tolerating one totalitarian symbol while strictly banning others is not a "European value", it is a political bias that selectively confronts the past.
In Croatia, Nazi or Ustasha symbols are strictly banned and punished, while communist symbols are tolerated under the pretext of "anti-fascism" or freedom of expression. Despite the victims of Bleiburg, the Way of the Cross, the Yugoslav camps, and the aggression under the pentagram in 1991, there is no consistent ban or public condemnation in the institutions.
The Croatian people deserve a government that is consistent with democratic values, and the "anti-fascist" government has a people that one can only wish for!
The display of communist symbols has been withdrawn by Latvia and Lithuania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia and Hungary.
Ukraine completely banned communist symbols with the Law on Decommunization, which was adopted in April 2015, and the implementation of which was further tightened after the Russian invasion. The main features of Ukrainian regulation include a complete ban on symbols and propaganda. The law expressly prohibits the public display, production and dissemination of symbols of the communist and Nazi totalitarian regimes.
Prohibited elements include flags, coats of arms and emblems of the Soviet Union (USSR) and other socialist republics. Hammer and sickle symbols and red five-pointed stars are also not allowed. Bans also include portraits, monuments, and quotes of Soviet leaders (e.g. Lenin, Stalin). The law also prohibits the performance of the anthem of the USSR or the anthems of the former Soviet republics.
Ukraine prescribes rigorous prison sentences for violating these prohibitions. Violation of this law is treated as a criminal offense and not a simple misdemeanor. Ordinary public display or dissemination of communist symbols is punishable by up to 5 years in prison with the possibility of confiscation of property. If the act is committed by an organized group, a public official or if the symbols are spread through the media, the penalty is from 5 to even 10 years in prison.
Croatian victims
Based on available material and research in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy, 1,517 mass graves have been found.
The Ivo Pilar Institute and our famous demographer, Professor Šterc, concluded based on research that there would be more than 6.5 million people in Croatia today if it had not been for the crimes of the communists. However, today in 2026, the Republic of Croatia has a population of 3,870,000. Dr. Sc. Šterc states that the population of Croatia between 1931 and 1948 decreased by 639,000 people, and the number of Serbs in Croatia by 170,735.
"Everyone can draw the conclusion based on this statistical data.” - emphasizes Dr. Sc. Šterc.
On Saturday, a commemoration and final farewell was held in Donji Macelj for 500 Croatian victims whose remains were exhumed and taken from graves in the Republic of Slovenia. The commemoration was attended by Tomo Medved, Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia and the Minister of Croatian Veterans. He is also a retired brigadier general of the Croatian Army.
The remains of the victims were exhumed from four mass graves in Slovenia – Trebče, where 10 victims were found, Podstenice/Rugarski klanci, where 22 victims were found, Košnica pri Celju, where 307 victims were found, and Cerklje ob Krki, where 161 victims were found. Numerous signs of violent death were found on the bones, including multiple fractures, traces of blows with blunt objects, and gunshot and bullet injuries, and these were 500 young men, including minors.
Minister Medved recalled that the end of World War II did not mean peace for thousands of Croatian soldiers and civilians, but the beginning of the Way of the Cross. The prisoners passed through Slovenia and Croatia, and numerous execution sites became forests, mine shafts, trenches, and pits. He emphasized that families were forced to remain silent for decades, but that the suffering is coming to light, and that the truth is found in the remains.
"Today we end the wait that lasted 81 years. The right to a grave is a human right, and the right of the families of nations to know where their dead rest is a civilizational obligation of every organized state," he said.
He recalled that this is precisely why the Ministry of Croatian Veterans has systematically continued research and discovery of mass and individual graves in recent years. Since 2016, 635 field surveys have been conducted and 96 locations have been investigated, and the remains of at least 2,300 victims have been found. Among the locations investigated are Jazovka, Gračani, Gospić, Brdovec, Tuškanac, Macelj, Senj, Garešnica, Sveta Nedelja, Novi Marof, and others.
Medved: They killed them and tried to erase all traces
He stressed that the search is not limited to state borders and thanked the Republic of Slovenia for the cooperation that enabled the return of 500 Croatian victims to their homeland. "The border separated them in death. Today, Macelj reunites them. They killed them and then tried to erase any trace that they ever existed. Today, we testify that they failed, we found them and returned them to Croatia," Medved pointed out.
He also emphasized that the crimes of totalitarian regimes should be discussed based on facts, without fear and without minimizing any crime. He particularly referred to the post-war communist liquidations and the need to speak about them openly. "We are not doing this to reopen old divisions, we are doing this to close open wounds with the truth," he said.
He reminded that there are still numerous locations of mass graves in the territory of Croatia and Slovenia and that their research will continue. He also stressed that the search for 1,725 missing persons from the Homeland War remains a priority for the Ministry of Croatian Veterans.
Archbishop Kutleša: Europe condemned Nazis and fascists, but not communist crimes
Europe rightly condemned Nazism and fascism, but there is still no condemnation or justice for the victims of the crimes of the communist regime, said Zagreb Archbishop Monsignor Dražen Kutleša on Saturday, on the occasion of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of All Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes.
"The Nazi regime was welcomed by the Nuremberg Trials. Europe rightly stood before the execution sites of Nazism and fascism and said: This must never happen again. The criminals and the criminal regime have been condemned," said Kutleša at a mass near Mostar.
“But there is a grave silence over the five-pointed star in our region. There are no convicted perpetrators of crimes, there is no real and consistent condemnation of the communist regime. There is no justice for the victims, and pits have been dug under the five-pointed star in this region,” added the Zagreb archbishop in a sermon in Bilame, where the ‘Cemetery of Peace’ memorial complex dedicated to the victims of totalitarian regimes is being built.
He warned that the perpetrators of communist crimes did not answer, but rather received pensions and decorations, and are still respected today.
He called on the authorities to be consistent towards all victims. “A state can only be credible when it treats all innocent victims of totalitarian regimes with equal respect and when it applies the same moral principles to everyone,” he stressed.
The Peace Cemetery in Bilame is a memorial complex dedicated to the victims of World War II and the post-war period, where more than 22,000 white crosses have been erected so far, out of a planned 50,000. In front of each cross are inscribed the names of the victims, their year of birth and their year of death.
Truth before the court of history
Excerpt from Archbishop Kutleša's Homily on the occasion of the European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Totalitarian Regimes at the Peace Cemetery in Bilame:
At the beginning of 1945, partisan units entered Herzegovina. Numerous execution sites were created on this karst soil. People were killed and thrown into abysses and pits without trial, without indictment and without established guilt. Soldiers and civilians. Priests, Franciscans and nuns. Peasants and teachers. Fathers and sons. Behind each of these words was a face, a name, a home, someone's embrace and an interrupted prayer. They are in the pit. And then silence fell over the pit. A heavy, legal, threatened silence. For years, no one dared to ask where they were. Mothers asked in whispers. At night. Within four walls. Children grew up with a photo of their father, who was known only to have not returned. Women wore black for decades, not even knowing where to light a candle. Because without a grave, there is no place for mourning. Without a grave, mourning has nowhere to go. And that mourning – closed, repressed, forbidden – destroyed families from the inside, generation after generation.
And the communist government knew very well what it was doing. It was not by chance that it hid the graves. Because the grave is powerful. The grave is a privileged place where the living talk to the dead. Where children learn who they are and where they come from. Where the people remember. And that is why they hid the graves, so as not to kill only the body, but also the memory. To kill not just one man, but an entire nation that could draw strength from that grave and recognize itself in that grave. The greatest cruelty was not only in the fact that a man's life was taken away. The greatest cruelty was in the attempt to take away the last of his human dignity: the right to a name, to a grave, to memory and to prayer.
The Nazi regime faced the Nuremberg trials. Europe, rightly, stood before the execution sites of Nazism and fascism and said: this must not happen again. Criminals and criminal regimes have been convicted. Responsibility has been established. The ban has been written into laws and textbooks. And that is good. That is justice. That is civilization.
But over the pentagram in our region – a grave silence. There are no convicted perpetrators of crimes. There is no real and consistent condemnation of communist crimes. There is no justice for the victims. And under the five-pointed star, pits opened up in these regions, mothers were left without sons, wives without husbands, and children grew up waiting for fathers who never returned. Few symbols in the thousand-year history of the Croatian people have left behind so many unshed tears, empty seats at the family table, and graves that are still waiting for their dead. Under its flag, home guards, priests, teachers, poets, and fathers of families were thrown alive into pits. Under its flag, the grave is forbidden, mourning is forbidden, and truth itself is forbidden. No ideology that deprives a person of a name, dignity, and the right to a grave can be the foundation of a just society. The perpetrators of the crimes were not held accountable. They received pensions. They received decorations. The streets that bear their names still exist. And there are still those who deny historical events, who call the bones in the pits “necessary casualties of war,” and who say: “Don’t dig in the past.”
Dear brothers and sisters, this is not digging into the past. This is digging up the truth. And the truth – no matter how long it has been buried with layers of lies, silence and fear – cannot be buried forever. The truth is like a seed: the deeper it is buried, the stronger it sprouts.
Therefore, it is worthy and just that crimes be called crimes; that unexamined execution sites be investigated; that the remains found, as far as possible, be given their names and provided with a dignified burial; that young people learn a complete history; that every innocent victim of every totalitarian regime be equally respected. We owe this to the dead. We owe this to their families. We owe this to the Truth before which we will all one day stand. While the truth is hidden, the wounds remain open. While the bodies are searched for, the mourning remains unfinished. A people that cannot bury their dead cannot fully mourn their pain, and what is not mourned is easily passed on as a wound to the next generation. But we believe that God can heal the wounds of a people who are not afraid of the truth.
Editorial Comment:
If "Europe" were conducting a REAL showdown with communism, fascism and Nazism, it would immediately ban ANTIFA and reject globalist ideology. Croatia has its own Yugoslav partisan cult because Tito had a "special" relationship with the West and above all with the English, so this tapestry will only end when the entire false history of World War II is elaborated and revealed.
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