Fans detained in Split over antisemitic chants — Balkan Insight

In the Croatian city of Split, police detained several members of the Torcida fan group after they chanted antisemitic and pro-Nazi slogans before Hajduk’s match against Dutch club Ajax. The incident is being investigated as possible hate speech, Balkan Insight reports.

Detentions and investigation

According to the outlet, all those detained are Torcida members and were already known to police. Law enforcement officers were also expecting further detentions. An investigating judge is to decide whether to remand the detainees in pretrial custody.

The chants were heard several hours before Hajduk’s match against Ajax, a club considered to have a longstanding connection with the Jewish community. Before the match, Hajduk fans marched through the city in a column led by a Volkswagen Golf Mk1 with a coffin on its roof bearing the word “Ajax.”

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Authorities’ and club’s reaction

The fans’ actions were condemned by Croatia’s government, the mayor of Split, political parties and the Israeli Embassy in Zagreb. The government said it condemns chants glorifying the Nazi regime. Croatian President Zoran Milanović stressed that statements of condemnation alone are not enough and that measures and sanctions against the glorification of Nazism and Ustasha ideology are needed.

During the second half of the Conference League match, play was suspended for 12 minutes because Hajduk fans used pyrotechnics, including flares and powerful firecrackers. After the match, the club apologized to Ajax’s management and players for the events they witnessed, without separately mentioning the chants before the game. Hajduk won 2–1 and may receive a substantial fine from UEFA.