ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name "Thompson," has drawn widespread criticism after many in the crowd were seen performing a salute linked to Croatia's World War II-era fascist regime.

The event, held over the weekend in the capital, Zagreb, reportedly attracted around half a million attendees, making it the largest concert ever held in Croatia, according to local police.

The controversy centers on the song Bojna Čavoglave, one of Perković's signature anthems, which opens with the phrase "Za dom spremni" ("For the homeland — Ready!"). The slogan was infamously used by the Ustasha, the fascist puppet regime allied with Nazi Germany during World War II. The Ustasha was responsible for running concentration camps in which tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma, and anti-fascist Croats were killed.

Video footage broadcast by Croatian media showed many concertgoers giving pro-Nazi salutes during the performance. While the use of such gestures is punishable under Croatian law, courts have previously ruled that Perković may use the slogan as part of his song. Public broadcaster HRT reported that the exemption was due to its association with the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s, in which Perković fought and later claimed the phrase was repurposed in that context.

Despite that claim, critics say the salute's origins are unequivocally tied to the Ustasha regime. Regional outlet N1 television said modern attempts to reinterpret the salute cannot erase its fascist roots, adding, "While Germans have made a clean break from their Nazi past, Croatia is nowhere near that in 2025."

Perković's immense popularity has long reflected the strong nationalist undercurrents in Croatian society, even three decades after the 1991–95 war with ethnic Serb rebels who, backed by Serbia, sought to break away from newly independent Croatia. The singer, who named himself after a Thompson submachine gun he reportedly used in combat, has been barred from performing in several European cities due to frequent pro-Ustasha symbolism and messaging at his shows.

Croatian daily Večernji list noted that while the concert was a feat of organization, its legacy may be overshadowed by the controversial salute, which the paper said invokes "mass executions of people."

The concert has also provoked reactions abroad. In neighboring Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić condemned the event as a display of "support for pro-Nazi values," while former Serbian president Boris Tadić called it a "shame for Croatia and the European Union," accusing it of glorifying crimes against Serbs.

Croatia, which joined the EU in 2013, deployed thousands of police officers to secure the concert. Authorities reported no significant incidents.