Croats protest against use of Cyrillic alphabet

VUKOVAR Another protest against the announced introduction of the Cyrillic script in the town of Vukovar was held on Saturday. Protesters, mostly Croat war veterans, came from entire Croatia to Vukovar. Croats protest against use of Cyrillic alphabet The protest was organized by the organization dubbed Headquarters for Defense of Croat Vukovar. Activists will at the end of the rally read their requests that will be submitted to parliament and the Croatian government. Headquarters for Defense of Croat Vukovar Spokesman Zdravko Komsic said that the organization had filed a request for the assessment of constitutionality of the Law on Rights of Ethnic Minorities. “We expect it to be solved in our favor. The Cyrillic alphabet is unacceptable in Vukovar because war wounds are still fresh and deep,” he said. Commenting on a proposal to exempt certain parts of the town from the implementation of the decision, Komsic noted that the entire town should be exempted from it. The protesters announced that they would stage a large protest in Zagreb if the authorities decided to go through with their decision to introduce Cyrillic script in schools, documents and road signs. According to the 2011 census, 34.7 percent of Serbs live in Vukovar, entitling them to official use of the Cyrillic alphabet in the town. Croatia’s Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and Administration Minister Arsen Bauk have stated several times that the law will be respected and that the Cyrillic script will be introduced in areas with sizeable ethnic Serb communities. (Tanjug) Tanjug

Croats protest against use of Cyrillic alphabet

The protest was organized by the organization dubbed Headquarters for Defense of Croat Vukovar.

Activists will at the end of the rally read their requests that will be submitted to parliament and the Croatian government.

Headquarters for Defense of Croat Vukovar Spokesman Zdravko Komšić said that the organization had filed a request for the assessment of constitutionality of the Law on Rights of Ethnic Minorities.

“We expect it to be solved in our favor. The Cyrillic alphabet is unacceptable in Vukovar because war wounds are still fresh and deep,” he said.

Commenting on a proposal to exempt certain parts of the town from the implementation of the decision, Komšić noted that the entire town should be exempted from it.

The protesters announced that they would stage a large protest in Zagreb if the authorities decided to go through with their decision to introduce Cyrillic script in schools, documents and road signs.

According to the 2011 census, 34.7 percent of Serbs live in Vukovar, entitling them to official use of the Cyrillic alphabet in the town.

Croatia’s Prime Minister Zoran Milanović and Administration Minister Arsen Bauk have stated several times that the law will be respected and that the Cyrillic script will be introduced in areas with sizeable ethnic Serb communities.