HAZU: Both the white and red first checker belong to the Croatian historical coat of arms

After years of controversy and division over the appearance of the Croatian historical coat of arms, the scientific community has decided to speak out. The Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences (HAZU) has presented a Declaration stating that both the coat of arms with a white and the one with a red first checker equally belong to the Croatian historical identity.

Red or white. Which color of the first checker is better on the coat of arms has been a topic that has been dividing for years.

Red or white?

Academics have decided to put an end to this - they clearly emphasize this in their declaration.

“The Croatian historical coat of arms in private and public use can and should be displayed in the way that Croats have displayed, respected and considered their own for generations throughout history, regardless of whether its initial checker is white or red ,” states the Declaration of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences on the Croatian historical coat of arms.

At a scientific conference, it was heard that it was unfounded to interpret that the first white checker is an Ustasha symbol.

“The coat of arms with a white first checker is neither socialist, nor communist, nor Ustasha - it is a historical sign of Croatian national identity. It is the highest value that a nation can have, says Dr. Sc. Ante Žužul, Školska knjiga.

The gathered scientists highlighted a whole series of historical facts with which they argue this.

One example is the coat of arms on the roof of the Church of St. Mark, and Professor Dr. Holjevac cites an example from 1925 and the thousandth anniversary of the Croatian kingdom.

“One edition where on the title page, next to each other, there is a coat of arms with a red checker and a coat of arms with a white checker at the same time. So in fact, both variants are completely legitimate,” says Prof. Dr. Sc. Željko Holjevac, director of the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences.

And this throughout a long 500 years of Croatian history.

Since then until today, it has been woven into Croatian identity, so it is the duty of academics to clarify all doubts.

“We want to point out that historical coats of arms have their own history, genesis and use - and that this should be respected,” says academic Stjepan Ćosić, Institute for Migration and Nationalities in Zagreb.

Declaration

“It is our duty to clear up such dilemmas and to enable Croats to celebrate the fullness of their historical identity - of course, while relying on all relevant laws,” emphasizes academic Velimir Neidhardt, president of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Their declaration, they hope, is an important step on that path.

Jareb: The intention of the declaration is that the coat of arms with a white checker is not stigmatized

Mario Jareb from the Croatian Institute of History was a guest on Croatian Television prime time news.

He said that the main intention of the declaration is that the coat of arms with a white checker is not stigmatized and not associated with the Ustasha regime.

“It has been shown very clearly that it is part of the Croatian heraldic heritage,” he said.

“We have state symbols, precisely prescribed by the law on the coat of arms and flag, which are officially used and the law determines their use in official use. And everything else falls into the domain of some unofficial uses and what is not prohibited - is permitted,” he said.

He said that the coat of arms with the white checker has never been prohibited.

“There is no regulation, law or any other act that would prohibit it in any way,” he said.

“There is a hysteria in part of the public, in part of the media, which insists that it is some kind of unacceptable, even criminal symbol. Colloquially it is called the "Ustasha coat of arms", but that is not correct. We know exactly what the symbols of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) and the Ustasha movement looked like. The symbols of the NDH were precisely prescribed by a legal provision of April 28, 1940. They contain the ideological symbol of the then ruling Ustasha movement, the blue letter U surrounded by a red triple vine and the coat of arms of the NDH. An integral part of that coat of arms is such a tendril, and an integral part of the flag of the Independent State of Croatia is also a tendril with a blue letter U. These are the symbols of the Independent State of Croatia,” he explains.

“After 2000, we all got into a real campaign that stigmatized such a coat of arms and then it was claimed that such a flag was the symbol of the Independent State of Croatia, although it is very easy to find sources that show that this is not the case,” he said.

Source: HRT