the croatian president everyone is gushing over paid tribute to nazis, is tough on immigration

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was a fan favorite at the World Cup, capturing people’s hearts with her humility and genuine disposition. Croatia’s performance in the world cup was nothing short of remarkable so her being the leader of the ‘small country that could’ made her everyone’s favorite president, compared to the likes of Emmanuel Macron and Valdimir Putin. Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever as it has been reported on numerous occasions that Grabar-Kitarovic has done and said things on multiple occasions that indicate Nazi-sympathizing tendencies.

In July 2016, on a visit to Canada, the Croatian president was pictured posing with a flag that was the symbol of Croatia’s WWII pro-Nazi movement. The movement went by the ‘Ustasha’ regime and they were responsible for the persecution and murder of thousands of Serbians, Jews, Romas and anti-fascists. When confronted about the image, Grabar-Kitarovic’s office merely shrugged of the claims stating there was nothing questionable about it.

Grabar-Kitarovic doubled-down on her problematic behavior when, on a trip to Buenos Aires, she had said “after WWII many Croatians sought and found indeed in Argentina the space of freedom where they were able to prove their patriotism” reported DNA India. Naturally, she was condemned by anti-Nazi groups for praising Croatian immigrant to Argentina that included many officials of the Ustasha regime. Critics said that her remarks “constitute a blanket whitewash of some of the worst criminals of WWII”.

Grabar-Kitarovic is Croatia’s youngest president while also being the first female president in the country’s history. It is problematic as hell that someone who was a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in International relations can hold such problematic views about her country’s history. Is there any world leader out there that we can stan in peace?