More skinhead attacks against Roma in Croatia

07 November 2001

A wave of skinhead violence against Croatian Roma continued with new attacks in Zagreb this summer. On July 5, 2001, 23-year-old self-proclaimed skinhead, Mr Daniel S., beat up 9-year-old Romani boy Ermin D. and his 7-year-old brother Kemal at a shopping centre in Zagreb, according to the Zagreb daily Jutarnji list of July 7. The attacker found the two boys at the shopping centre and attacked them, slapping their faces and kicking them all over their bodies. The boys managed to flee home, after which their father took them back to the centre, where the boys identified the attacker. The boys' father informed the local police, who arrested the attacker on the same evening. According to Jutarnji list, also on the same evening and in the centre of Zagreb, another member of the skinhead movement slapped a 17-year-old non-Romani girl and pulled her hair. The victim informed the police and the attacker - 30-year-old Mr Marko M. - was arrested shortly afterwards. During an investigation, the attacker confessed that the attack was "a mistake", as he believed that the victim was Roma because of her dark complexion and hair. No further information was available on both cases. For records of previous skinhead attacks against Croatian Roma, see "Snapshots from around Europe" in Roma Rights 2 and 3/2001, also available at: Numerous racially motivated attacks against Roma in Croatia.

 (Jutarnji list)