Austrian politicians united against Bleiburg commemoration

Three Austrian MEPs - Josef Weidenholzer of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPO), Othmar Karas from the ruling Austrian People’s Party (OVP), and Angelika Mlinar from the liberal NEOS party - held a news conference on Monday in Vienna to raise awareness over what they said is the concerning use of the commemoration of the World War 2 killing of Ustasha by Yugoslav partisans as a platform for right-wing extremists.

“Together, and above any party interests, we say no! No to the celebration of Croatian fascist, the Ustashas, on Austrian soil. This damages the reputation of both Austria and Europe,” Weidenholzer tweeted on Monday.

The three Austrian MEPs said on Monday they did not oppose the event itself, but are against it being used as a platform for far-right extremists and called the authorities to impose tighter control of the symbols used at the event.

They recalled that Ustasha symbols are banned in Croatia but are legal in Austria, and called for a EU-wide ban on all oublic displays of fascist symbols.

The event, held every May outside the Austrian town of Bleiburg near the Slovenian border, regularly attracts thousands of right-wing Croatians as well as prominent members of the Croatian Catholic clergy and some mainstream Croatian politicians who go there to commemorate the mass killings of civilians and soldiers loyal to the World War II fascist Ustashe regime by the communist Partisans in the last days of the war in 1945.The exact number of people killed continues to be a topic of heated debate.

The annual event has become popular with Croatian right-wing groups, who flock to the place where the Ustashe were turned back to Slovenia following their capture by allied troops.

The commemoration was a low-key event prior to the fall of communism in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s but has grown and won mainstream support, even support from the Croatian Parliament, which donates 500,000 kuna (€67,500) for the event.

The Bleiburg event is controversial in Croatia because the crowds of far-right extremists display World War II Ustasha insignia.

The organisers have banned all controversial symbols, flags, and banners from this year's event.