Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that the WW2 Nazi-style Independent State of Croatia (NDH) was "one of the most tragic periods in Croatian history" and added that the government is "clearly against the use of Ustasha symbols."

Plenkovic made this statement on the occasion of the 76th anniversary anniversary of the breakout of inmates of from the Ustasha-run World War II concentration camp Jasenovac. He laid a wreath at the memorial site, and on this occasion he was accompanied by the three deputy prime ministers – Tomo Medved, Davor Bozinovic and Boris Milosevic, and several other cabinet members.

He underscored that they came to pay tribute to all victims of the NDH regime and the horrific crimes committed in the Jasenovac concentration camp and other camps against Jews, Serbs, Roma, Croat antifascists and democrats.

“That is certainly one of the most tragic periods in Croatian history and it is important that young new generations of today are aware of these facts, (…) that this is a part of our education system and that all generations never forget the terrible crimes that were committed here and across Europe in similar camps during World War II, and that there is general and unequivocal condemnation of those crimes,” the prime minister said.

He added that he would continue to come to Jasenovac with piety and awareness that we must not allow such crimes to ever happen again.

As for amending the Criminal Code to ban Ustasha insignia, Plenkovic said that they were already banned and that it was a question of aligning action with court practice.

“This topic has been with us for a long time. Everyone who knows something about our history, about the Jasenovac camp, who understand what those symbols mean for members of the Jewish people, members of Serbs, Roma, antifascists, understands that these are not symbols to be used,” Plenkovic said.

Regarding the initiative of the president of the Coordination of Jewish Communities in Croatia, Ognjen Kraus, to ban the Ustasha salute “For the homeland ready”, he said that they had talked about it and would continue to discuss it. Also, he said that the position of the government was clear and firm when it came to condemning crimes and such symbols.

He denied claims by the Jewish representative that not enough had been done on the issue.