Commemorations and mass for the victims of Bleiburg and death marches

The 80th anniversary of the Bleiburg tragedy and death marches was marked in Macelj. After wreaths were laid and candles were lit at the monuments to tens of thousands of killed soldiers and civilians on the Bleiburg Field yesterday, a mass was served in the Memorial Church of the Passion of Jesus in Macelj. A commemoration was also held at the Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb.

More than a thousand believers gathered in Macelj for the commemoration. Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and several ministers also came. The mass was celebrated by the Archbishop of Split and Makarska, Zdenko Križić.

“Cruel mass killings without any trial and any verification of guilt or innocence of the victim. We stand here on earth soaked in the blood of known and unknown people, whose blood, like Abel's, has not stopped crying out to heaven throughout all these decades, just as the blood of all other innocent victims in any corner of our country still cries out. We condemn every crime, wherever it occurs and by whomever. Here it is necessary to emphasize another truth. Committing crimes of this nature by anyone and anywhere is truly the work of Satan,” said Križić.

Commemoration also at Mirogoj

And before Macelj, the anniversary of the Bleiburg tragedy and death marches was marked in Zagreb. A commemoration was held at the central cross at Mirogoj, and wreaths were laid and candles were lit in memory of the victims killed without trial immediately after the end of World War II. A tribute was paid by delegations of the Government and Parliament, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković.

Wreaths were also laid by representatives of the Honorary Bleiburg Platoon, which is the organizer of the commemoration, while the Croatian Bishops' Conference is the co-organizer in the liturgical part. The patron of the commemoration is Croatian Parliament, and the co-sponsor is the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Imam Mersad Efendi Kreštić, the envoy of the Mufti of the Islamic Community in Croatia, prayed for all the victims of that time, and on behalf of the Croatian Bishops' Conference, the Archbishop of Split and Makarska, Monsignor Zdenko Križić.

Jandroković: There was silence for years

“We remember thousands and thousands of people who were killed without trial, contrary to all international conventions, in a very brutal, merciless and organized manner,” said the Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković. He pointed out that the victims were thrown into pits, without marked grave sites, and today's presence is a symbol of restoring dignity and respect.

“We are also here to condemn the crime of the communist regime. It happened out of revenge, with the aim of eliminating all those whom the then authorities considered enemies,” said Jandroković, adding that people kept silent about these crimes for years, in fear of repression. The great crime was covered up for 45 years, he concluded.

Plenković: The education system should objectively present these historical moments

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković emphasized that they express respect for the victims who were killed without trial, in revenge and without any dignity after World War II. It is important, he emphasized - that the education system truly objectively presents these historical moments that have largely defined the essence of the Croatian people.

“Such tragedies have left deep and painful scars for numerous families in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In democratic Croatia, which condemns all totalitarian regimes – Nazi, fascist and communist – we want to convey to the younger generations these painful pages of Croatian history, so that the crimes of World War II and the post-war period will never be repeated,” the Prime Minister said.

Commemoration on Lojbaško Polje with a lot of police

Yesterday, a commemoration was also held on Lojbaška Polje in Austria. Several hundred people laid wreaths, lit candles, after which a mass was held in the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. Everything went peacefully and with dignity, but with a lot of police.

The last mass commemoration on Bleiburg was held six years ago, and due to potentially extreme political connotations, the Austrian government banned the commemoration on Lojbaško Polje in 2022. The Honorary Bleiburg Platoon - appealed this decision to the Austrian Constitutional Court.

Source: HRT