Tadić condemns flag thieves

You've got to give those guys credit. It's a busy street to swipe that flag from.

It makes you wonder what kind of Security the Croatians have. Their Embassy is just 200 meters away from the Canadian and American Embassy and on a major street in Belgrade. How was this even possible? Its funny actually.

The people that stole the flag were wrong and should be punished. Idiots.

I also think the checkerboard symbol is wrong and their should have been international pressure to remove it or not allow it top be a symbol of pride for croatia, considering the inhumane crimes committed under it during the war.

Still...idiots to steal the flag.

Had Tadic kicked out the croatian ambassador when they recognized the fake, immoral, and illegal 'state' of Kosovo, like he should have, the embassy would have been closed and this would not have happened in the first place.
Of course he is quick to condemn this theft of a piece of cloth, because that is what Munter told him to do. He stays silent when Mesic makes anti-Serb remarks and interferes in Serbia's internal affairs, but he is quick to condemn this insignificant incident. Yeah Boris, you are not fooling anyone. We all know who you are working for.
Shame.

Comical. Who cares? If Croatia showed a shred of respect for Serbia none of this would happen. I didn't hear the Croatian President apologize or condem the actions of extremists who tore down and stomped on the Serbian flag in Zagreb during the 2009 European Handball Championships.

Stop apologizing Serbia.

Zivela Srbija!

Surely, prime suspect in this matter is Mr Kostunica’s tailor. Word on the street has it that he has been told to produce a pair on inner garments in the colours of the Croatian flag for Mr Kostunica to wear on special occasions.
You have to love the news from Serbia.

tadic, worry more about your American buddies trying to steal your land and less about the theft of a flag!!

It makes you wonder what kind of Security the Croatians have. Their Embassy is just 200 meters away from the Canadian and American Embassy and on a major street in Belgrade. How was this even possible? Its funny actually.
(Canadian, 9 April 2009 14:56)

Normally, no "security" as it is known in the States. Under normal circumstances you can walk in Belgrade or Budapest airport back and forth between the waiting hall and arrival hall, past the customs.

And if the police has "security measures" it is universally suspected (by Hungarians or Serbs at least, probably by Albanians and Croatians, too) all they want is to take bribes.

The only exception I know is the City of Belgrade, their "spiders" (little tow-trucks which tow away cars parking in wrong place) are not negotiable. "Bad" sign is, if cops (like in Belgrade) accept credit cards for parking violation. That means "Jo Negociata" even without "Vetëvendosje"

But other than this isolated case, everything between Gevgelija in FYROM and Gdansk in Poland is "Negociata". ;)

I am slowly getting used to that. Arguably Ukraina is the worst and still nothing compared with Mexico. So it is bad, but it could be still much worse.

GB,

Man. . .you have a lot of nerve coming to a Serbian website spewing that garbage.

Some Commies kill a bunch of Ustashe that were sent to their deaths by the Allies and you're upset at Serbs.

The true Serb nation has their on grievances with the Communists. . .so your post will fall on largely deaf ears.

Besides, I bet that alot of the Partisans doing the killing in Bleiburg were Ustashe who just switched uniforms to save their own butts.

You seem to have alot of sympathy for the Ustashe getting killed. Are you as remorseful to thier innocent victims in Jasenovac?

I doubt that.

@14

Yes you are so correct. It is not the prank that is the problem. It is the extreme nationalistic response to a prank - both serb and croat. And therein lies so much of the problem.

It was funny. Let's not make an international incident out of it or did I miss how lives were lost?

Chill

ps last time i was in belgrade i saw that flag. That is something I'd do for a laugh - do you have to be a grown up to post here?

joking:
It's the hand of the romanians trying to pull a coup. you'll find the flag on top of the presidential building in Chisinau, republic of Moldova along the EU and Romanian flags :)

village bey - is that so that every time he scratches himself, he's using the Croatian flag to do so?

Surely people should start educating themselves before making stupid comments.

The checkerboard flag is not in any way whatsoever related to the Ustasha movement. The checkerboard was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia emblem along with the Serbia four cross shield and the Slovenian symbol.

The Croatian checkerboard flag was one of the founding symbols of Croatia ever since their first Kingdom in the 9th century.

The Ustasha flag included the old Crotian checkerboard but with one big difference, a big U transposed on it.

As far as the Kosovo flag and the FYROM flags, they are stolen symbols, one from Hellenism , the other made up from Europe, as such a proctorate and nothing more.

inhumne crimes under checker board? hmmm as long as serbs believe that, they will not be listened because anyone who knows anything about ustasha knows that their symbol was a "U". checkerboard is a historical croat symbols. If it was "U" on flag, fair enough.

Besides I dont see serbs changing their symbols after 90's. Main culprits for Bleiburg massacres are still not found so revisiting WW2 would not be a pleasant experience for some nations.

'Surely people should start educating themselves before making stupid comments.'

Amen! I was going to make the checkerboard comment myself but frankly I could not be bothered. There were other Croatian symbols used during the recent war which did first appear under the nazi puppet state though.

Nemanja you might want to remember that Serbs also died at Bleiburg. Croatian nationalists like to think Bleiburg as a Croatian only affair, while some Serbs buy into this.

"in order to arrest and punish the extremists and hooligans who did this,” according to the president’s press service.

It's to bad Tadic was not talking about the hooligans and extremist Mayor who destroyed Roma homes last week in order to white-wash and cover up Belgrade's poverty before the games.

Instead the President of the Republic concerns himself with the theft of a flag and its implication on Serbian nationalism.

DS-please less hypocrisy and philosophy and more governance.

Perhaps the Croats could relocate their embassy to Kosovo, a solution that might please all sides. I'm surpised that there are any Serbs left in Croatia dosen't Tadic realise that the vast majority were expelled during operation storm.

You've got to give those guys credit. It's a busy street to swipe that flag from.
(Hawthorne, 9 April 2009 14:32)

It is more likely that many people saw the theft and did nothing or even clapped their hands. There is much hatred towards Croats in Serbia to have that attitude, especially after the Croatian Army crushed the Serbian in 1995.

Cheers!

"It is more likely that many people saw the theft and did nothing or even clapped their hands. There is much hatred towards Croats in Serbia to have that attitude, especially after the Croatian Army crushed the Serbian in 1995.

Cheers!
(Berkeley, 10 April 2009 09:35)"

Do you know that? When were you last in Belgrade? What about the 10,000 Croatians that live in Belgrade?

You're just displaying your prejudice aren't you?

Niall,

My apologies. . .did not mean to offend you as I (and most Serbs here) appreciate your strong support.

Thanks and keep posting. . .I enjoy reading your commentary.

A couple of years ago, the morning after St.Patrick Day celebrations found Irish flag proudly flying from the mast in front of the British School of Boston, replacing the British flag. The British one was nowhere in sight. Stolen by some happy green hand which certainly was not that of St. Patrick's. Students admired the bravery - it's a pretty tall mast - parents found it pretty funny, somebody suggested to the principal to fly an Irish flag as well, in order to spare the British one,it appeared that most people loved the joke, and that was the end of the story. True,the British school principal mentioned some undermined security, but it was a personal security of a thief in question; after all, he could have fallen down from that mast! But then again, it was a St. Patrick's Day, wasn't it?
According to the news, the Belgrade flag incident that is threatening international security in the region, happened on Tuesday. Wasn't that the day of Partizan-Zvezda derby? That fire on the stadium wasn't a joke at all.

Here is one Ustasha image I have found which has the symbol without the U.

http://emperors-clothes.com/croatia/u-legion.jpg

I guess the Croats used their checkered symbol to represent Ustasha as well as just plain Croats.
If that's true then they must remove it. It's the same as putting swastika on the German flag and asking the Jews to respect it.
Whichever period this symbol comes from is irrelevant because it is under this flag and this symbol that Serbian extermination was done.
If the Croats want to do a decent thing and show that they regret their past they should remove this symbol from their flag as a sign of that. You cannot commit genocide under a certain symbol and expect to keep it.
You also cannot expect the Serbs of your country to swear allegiance to that flag either.

Do you think Serbians will ever remove the Byzantine cross along with the four c's proudly displaying the history of the Serbian nation? Why should Croatia do the same just because some Ustasha Fascist named Ante Pavelic did it for four year's.
(konstantin gregovic, 11 April 2009 19:54)

Because the Serbs never went onto exterminating anyone under that symbol. There is no reason to take it down.

It doesn't matter how much time it took but the fact that Croats exterminated so many Serbs under that symbol disqualifies them from ever using it again.

If you think that this opinion should embarrass me you are wrong. That symbol has been contaminated by the ugly deeds of Ustasha and is a constant reminder to the Serbs.
If you don't agree, kindly ask any Serb from Krajina or Bosnia who was on the receiving end during that time if they are OK with this symbol and if they are prepared to honour it.
Don't ever compare the four Cs to the checkered symbol. No extermination or genocide EVER took place under that symbol and Serbs should not feel any shame about it.
The same cannot be said for the other one.

Big whippy doo, the flag was stolen in some drunken prank, so what.

My favourite Croat is Josip Broz. Nemanja, less of the Commie bashing please for I am one myself :))

Here is one Ustasha image I have found which has the symbol without the U.

[link]

I guess the Croats used their checkered symbol to represent Ustasha as well as just plain Croats.
If that's true then they must remove it. It's the same as putting swastika on the German flag and asking the Jews to respect it.

You embaress yourself with those comments. The Swastika was a purely fascist movement and the flag has no relavence to the current German flag past or present.

Sure, the Croatian Ustasha used the checkerboard during their leadership for four years, but the checkerboard has been a symbol for Croatians for centuries. Be tolerant and accepting because Croatians and Serbians are truly cousins merely seperated by extremist elements on both sides who fail to educate themselves. Also be aware that the checkerboard was a symbol under King Tvrtko in Bosnia along with Serbian symbols.

Do you think Serbians will ever remove the Byzantine cross along with the four c's proudly displaying the history of the Serbian nation? Why should Croatia do the same just because some Ustasha Fascist named Ante Pavelic did it for four year's.

The people that stole the flag were wrong and should be punished. Idiots.

I also think the checkerboard symbol is wrong and their should have been international pressure to remove it or not allow it top be a symbol of pride for croatia, considering the inhumane crimes committed under it during the war.

Still...idiots to steal the flag.

Surely, prime suspect in this matter is Mr Kostunica’s tailor. Word on the street has it that he has been told to produce a pair on inner garments in the colours of the Croatian flag for Mr Kostunica to wear on special occasions.
You have to love the news from Serbia.

inhumne crimes under checker board? hmmm as long as serbs believe that, they will not be listened because anyone who knows anything about ustasha knows that their symbol was a "U". checkerboard is a historical croat symbols. If it was "U" on flag, fair enough.

Besides I dont see serbs changing their symbols after 90's. Main culprits for Bleiburg massacres are still not found so revisiting WW2 would not be a pleasant experience for some nations.

It makes you wonder what kind of Security the Croatians have. Their Embassy is just 200 meters away from the Canadian and American Embassy and on a major street in Belgrade. How was this even possible? Its funny actually.

Comical. Who cares? If Croatia showed a shred of respect for Serbia none of this would happen. I didn't hear the Croatian President apologize or condem the actions of extremists who tore down and stomped on the Serbian flag in Zagreb during the 2009 European Handball Championships.

Stop apologizing Serbia.

Zivela Srbija!

Had Tadic kicked out the croatian ambassador when they recognized the fake, immoral, and illegal 'state' of Kosovo, like he should have, the embassy would have been closed and this would not have happened in the first place.
Of course he is quick to condemn this theft of a piece of cloth, because that is what Munter told him to do. He stays silent when Mesic makes anti-Serb remarks and interferes in Serbia's internal affairs, but he is quick to condemn this insignificant incident. Yeah Boris, you are not fooling anyone. We all know who you are working for.
Shame.

You've got to give those guys credit. It's a busy street to swipe that flag from.

village bey - is that so that every time he scratches himself, he's using the Croatian flag to do so?

Perhaps the Croats could relocate their embassy to Kosovo, a solution that might please all sides. I'm surpised that there are any Serbs left in Croatia dosen't Tadic realise that the vast majority were expelled during operation storm.

You've got to give those guys credit. It's a busy street to swipe that flag from.
(Hawthorne, 9 April 2009 14:32)

It is more likely that many people saw the theft and did nothing or even clapped their hands. There is much hatred towards Croats in Serbia to have that attitude, especially after the Croatian Army crushed the Serbian in 1995.

Cheers!

Surely people should start educating themselves before making stupid comments.

The checkerboard flag is not in any way whatsoever related to the Ustasha movement. The checkerboard was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia emblem along with the Serbia four cross shield and the Slovenian symbol.

The Croatian checkerboard flag was one of the founding symbols of Croatia ever since their first Kingdom in the 9th century.

The Ustasha flag included the old Crotian checkerboard but with one big difference, a big U transposed on it.

As far as the Kosovo flag and the FYROM flags, they are stolen symbols, one from Hellenism , the other made up from Europe, as such a proctorate and nothing more.

GB,

Man. . .you have a lot of nerve coming to a Serbian website spewing that garbage.

Some Commies kill a bunch of Ustashe that were sent to their deaths by the Allies and you're upset at Serbs.

The true Serb nation has their on grievances with the Communists. . .so your post will fall on largely deaf ears.

Besides, I bet that alot of the Partisans doing the killing in Bleiburg were Ustashe who just switched uniforms to save their own butts.

You seem to have alot of sympathy for the Ustashe getting killed. Are you as remorseful to thier innocent victims in Jasenovac?

I doubt that.

tadic, worry more about your American buddies trying to steal your land and less about the theft of a flag!!

It makes you wonder what kind of Security the Croatians have. Their Embassy is just 200 meters away from the Canadian and American Embassy and on a major street in Belgrade. How was this even possible? Its funny actually.
(Canadian, 9 April 2009 14:56)

Normally, no "security" as it is known in the States. Under normal circumstances you can walk in Belgrade or Budapest airport back and forth between the waiting hall and arrival hall, past the customs.

And if the police has "security measures" it is universally suspected (by Hungarians or Serbs at least, probably by Albanians and Croatians, too) all they want is to take bribes.

The only exception I know is the City of Belgrade, their "spiders" (little tow-trucks which tow away cars parking in wrong place) are not negotiable. "Bad" sign is, if cops (like in Belgrade) accept credit cards for parking violation. That means "Jo Negociata" even without "Vetëvendosje"

But other than this isolated case, everything between Gevgelija in FYROM and Gdansk in Poland is "Negociata". ;)

I am slowly getting used to that. Arguably Ukraina is the worst and still nothing compared with Mexico. So it is bad, but it could be still much worse.

joking:
It's the hand of the romanians trying to pull a coup. you'll find the flag on top of the presidential building in Chisinau, republic of Moldova along the EU and Romanian flags :)

@14

Yes you are so correct. It is not the prank that is the problem. It is the extreme nationalistic response to a prank - both serb and croat. And therein lies so much of the problem.

It was funny. Let's not make an international incident out of it or did I miss how lives were lost?

Chill

ps last time i was in belgrade i saw that flag. That is something I'd do for a laugh - do you have to be a grown up to post here?

Here is one Ustasha image I have found which has the symbol without the U.

http://emperors-clothes.com/croatia/u-legion.jpg

I guess the Croats used their checkered symbol to represent Ustasha as well as just plain Croats.
If that's true then they must remove it. It's the same as putting swastika on the German flag and asking the Jews to respect it.
Whichever period this symbol comes from is irrelevant because it is under this flag and this symbol that Serbian extermination was done.
If the Croats want to do a decent thing and show that they regret their past they should remove this symbol from their flag as a sign of that. You cannot commit genocide under a certain symbol and expect to keep it.
You also cannot expect the Serbs of your country to swear allegiance to that flag either.

Here is one Ustasha image I have found which has the symbol without the U.

[link]

I guess the Croats used their checkered symbol to represent Ustasha as well as just plain Croats.
If that's true then they must remove it. It's the same as putting swastika on the German flag and asking the Jews to respect it.

You embaress yourself with those comments. The Swastika was a purely fascist movement and the flag has no relavence to the current German flag past or present.

Sure, the Croatian Ustasha used the checkerboard during their leadership for four years, but the checkerboard has been a symbol for Croatians for centuries. Be tolerant and accepting because Croatians and Serbians are truly cousins merely seperated by extremist elements on both sides who fail to educate themselves. Also be aware that the checkerboard was a symbol under King Tvrtko in Bosnia along with Serbian symbols.

Do you think Serbians will ever remove the Byzantine cross along with the four c's proudly displaying the history of the Serbian nation? Why should Croatia do the same just because some Ustasha Fascist named Ante Pavelic did it for four year's.

Do you think Serbians will ever remove the Byzantine cross along with the four c's proudly displaying the history of the Serbian nation? Why should Croatia do the same just because some Ustasha Fascist named Ante Pavelic did it for four year's.
(konstantin gregovic, 11 April 2009 19:54)

Because the Serbs never went onto exterminating anyone under that symbol. There is no reason to take it down.

It doesn't matter how much time it took but the fact that Croats exterminated so many Serbs under that symbol disqualifies them from ever using it again.

If you think that this opinion should embarrass me you are wrong. That symbol has been contaminated by the ugly deeds of Ustasha and is a constant reminder to the Serbs.
If you don't agree, kindly ask any Serb from Krajina or Bosnia who was on the receiving end during that time if they are OK with this symbol and if they are prepared to honour it.
Don't ever compare the four Cs to the checkered symbol. No extermination or genocide EVER took place under that symbol and Serbs should not feel any shame about it.
The same cannot be said for the other one.

"in order to arrest and punish the extremists and hooligans who did this,” according to the president’s press service.

It's to bad Tadic was not talking about the hooligans and extremist Mayor who destroyed Roma homes last week in order to white-wash and cover up Belgrade's poverty before the games.

Instead the President of the Republic concerns himself with the theft of a flag and its implication on Serbian nationalism.

DS-please less hypocrisy and philosophy and more governance.

A couple of years ago, the morning after St.Patrick Day celebrations found Irish flag proudly flying from the mast in front of the British School of Boston, replacing the British flag. The British one was nowhere in sight. Stolen by some happy green hand which certainly was not that of St. Patrick's. Students admired the bravery - it's a pretty tall mast - parents found it pretty funny, somebody suggested to the principal to fly an Irish flag as well, in order to spare the British one,it appeared that most people loved the joke, and that was the end of the story. True,the British school principal mentioned some undermined security, but it was a personal security of a thief in question; after all, he could have fallen down from that mast! But then again, it was a St. Patrick's Day, wasn't it?
According to the news, the Belgrade flag incident that is threatening international security in the region, happened on Tuesday. Wasn't that the day of Partizan-Zvezda derby? That fire on the stadium wasn't a joke at all.

Big whippy doo, the flag was stolen in some drunken prank, so what.

My favourite Croat is Josip Broz. Nemanja, less of the Commie bashing please for I am one myself :))

'Surely people should start educating themselves before making stupid comments.'

Amen! I was going to make the checkerboard comment myself but frankly I could not be bothered. There were other Croatian symbols used during the recent war which did first appear under the nazi puppet state though.

Nemanja you might want to remember that Serbs also died at Bleiburg. Croatian nationalists like to think Bleiburg as a Croatian only affair, while some Serbs buy into this.

"It is more likely that many people saw the theft and did nothing or even clapped their hands. There is much hatred towards Croats in Serbia to have that attitude, especially after the Croatian Army crushed the Serbian in 1995.

Cheers!
(Berkeley, 10 April 2009 09:35)"

Do you know that? When were you last in Belgrade? What about the 10,000 Croatians that live in Belgrade?

You're just displaying your prejudice aren't you?

Niall,

My apologies. . .did not mean to offend you as I (and most Serbs here) appreciate your strong support.

Thanks and keep posting. . .I enjoy reading your commentary.