The city branch of the Association of Croatian Homeland War Volunteers of the city of Kaštela and the Kaštela hinterland sent a statement to our editorial office in response to the published article by Ranko Britvić on Portal.hr. as they state, manipulation should always be responded to. We are publishing the statement in its entirety.
Dear Kaštela residents, citizens of the city of Kaštela and the Kaštela hinterland, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. During this time of Advent, we are preparing, together with our families, to celebrate the arrival of the Christ Child, the redeemer of the world. On this occasion, we invoke the best wishes for health and happiness in order to welcome the young King in our traditional, Christian way.
I guess that's why Ranko Britvić sent his response to our December 3rd post on December 22nd, hoping that we wouldn't react. It may not be appropriate to engage in polemics during these holidays, but manipulation, to put it mildly, should always be reacted to.
At the beginning, we need to clarify two things.
First, since he is proud to be a comrade, we will continue to call Ranko Britvić comrade Britvić. He says that the word comrade is one of the most beautiful words in the Croatian language. We agree with that and add: linguistically speaking, the most beautiful greeting in the world is the greeting "Za dom spremni". It means being ready to give your life to defend your home; not to seize someone else's. All armies in the world should use it, so there wouldn't be so many wars and encroachments on other people's territory. There is no point in explaining to him that beardless and bare-handed young men died with this greeting in the Homeland War, because he is not interested in it.
Secondly, to avoid confusion, the announcement to which Comrade Britvić responded was sent by an association with the full name: CITY BRANCH OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CROATIAN HOMELAND WAR VOLUNTEERS OF THE CITY OF KAŠTELA AND KAŠTELANSKE ZAGORE, abbreviated as GO UHDDR of the city of Kaštela and Kaštelanske Zagora.
Our umbrella association, the Homeland War Volunteers Association, abbreviated as UHDDR, of which we are a branch, was founded on January 19, 1993 in Zagreb. Its founder and first president was the Croatian hero, the late Tomislav Mercep, who did more for Croatia than all of VeDRA's generals combined.
Now that we've clarified that, we can move on.
First of all, we must say that we have not attacked or slandered you, Comrade Britvić, and your association in any way, as you claim in your response. If anyone has slandered you, it is you who have slandered yourself. We have only extracted some statements from your interview with the Serbian "Novosti" and, by analyzing them, pointed out that slander.
We must emphasize that in your response to us, Comrade Britvić, you have not refuted a single fact or disputed a single argument. In fact, you have not touched on our analysis with a single word, but have skillfully avoided answering our topic with your theses and sleights.
You have uttered only platitudes and phrases, which is typical of left-wing individuals and organizations. You have even uttered some untruths, which will be seen in the following text. Unfortunately for you, you have also uttered some information about yourself from which we have confirmed some of our suspicions.
For example, we wondered what kind of background a Croatian veteran must have in order to be able to give an interview in "Novosti". Now it is much clearer to us. As you yourself stated, from 1984 to 1990, you were an employee of the SUP. We also assume that you were a member of the party, because being an employee of the SUP required that qualification. That is already a good background for "Novosti".
However, since we are not dealing with platitudes and phrases but with concrete questions and facts, let's return to our analysis of your statements.
This time we will do it from a different angle. That is why we will use the book "Protocols of the Greater Serbian Ideology" which explores the Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts II, in the chapter "Strategic Goals for Croatia", and compare it with your statements to "Novosti". There, on page 361, the following protocols are listed:
Protocol 39 – Constantly insist in Croatia on the danger of the restoration of the NDH.
Your statement: "Defenders' and veterans' associations have become the bearers of neo-Ustasha, permeating the habitus of the Ustasha state throughout society. And no, we no longer need to revitalize the situation and lie to ourselves that we are witnessing a revisionist trend, because in the case of Croatian society it has moved to a higher level, to the level of neo-Ustasha."
Protocol 40 - Always and in every place to emphasize the ideas of the Ustaštva, the crimes, the NDH camps, their radicalism, extremism and brutality alongside the Croats. For this purpose, use the media and engage as many Croatian intellectuals as possible, through bribery, favors or blackmail.
Your statement: "This year, VeDRA will also lay wreaths at the Memorial Cemetery at Ovčara as well as in the Danube for the murdered Vukovar citizens of Serbian nationality in a crime committed before the crime at Ovčara, committed by Tomislav Mercep's phalanx, for which Mercep was arrested and expelled from Vukovar.
Your statement: "Serbs in Croatia have become like American blacks during the time of Martin Luther King."
Protocol 41 – Use incidents to argue the thesis that Serbs are endangered and constantly publicly promote the thesis of Croatia as a continuation of the NDH, and present the incidents as a consequence of such a policy of hatred towards Serbs.
Your statement: "Unfortunately, today, 30 years after the Homeland War, it is still difficult to be a Serb in Croatia. Why wouldn't the exhibition called "Serbian Woman" be opened seven days before the commemoration of the fall of Vukovar, what does it matter that it is November? There is no wrong day, wrong month. Are Serbs in Croatia during November criminals, our enemies, that they are not allowed to come out of their hiding places? What else is needed?
Protocol 42 – Always and in every place emphasize that the Ustasha, radicalism, and Croatian clerical fascism were the sole and fundamental cause of the war in Croatia.
Your statement: "Unfortunately, the anti-fascist side of the truth of Croatian history has always been insufficiently, shyly visible and acknowledged, from Tuđman to Račan to Milanović, whose Home Guard policies of inaction produced the neo-Ustashaism that we see on our streets. When we add to this the upbringing of our younger generations by the Catholic Church, whose administration even the Vatican itself is scandalized by, it is no wonder that today's young people invoke the Ustasha regime. I am of Catholic origin, taught to respect every religion, but the Croatian Catholic administration is the generator and bearer of Croatian revisionism and the fascism of our society, as a consequence of a spiritual and pedagogical upgrade of the regular holding of church ceremonies by the Ustasha leader Ante Pavelić:"
This needs no comment, except that some Croatian state services are involved here.
In your text, you mention our "shameful act" when we prevented the Kaštela Anti-Fascist Association from opening a Virtual Museum called "From Victory to Victory" and, as you say, in their premises, so we can do something about that too.
First of all, we're glad you haven't forgotten about it.
Secondly, when you say that the premises in the building in K. Sućurac are owned by the Kaštela Anti-Fascist Association, you are deliberately avoiding the truth, lest we say that you are lying. The truth is that the building in K, Sućurac, in which the aforementioned premises are located, is owned by the Republic of Croatia. The building is marked DOM CROATIAN DEFENDANTS, and no veterans' association has access to the building, even though most veterans' associations do not have their own premises in the city. The building houses the Kaštela City Library on the ground floor, and the premises on the first floor were usurped by the Kaštela Anti-Fascist Association, which sued the Republic of Croatia on 13.02.2023, precisely because of ownership of the building, and the proceedings are being conducted at the Municipal Court in Split.
We do not believe that comrade Britvić is not familiar with these facts because, as he claims, as a member of the presidency of the Kaštela Anti-Fascist Association, he must know this. So much for his credibility.
Thirdly, for several years now, VeDRA and its related associations have been trying to equate and connect the Second World War and the Homeland War using the slogan “From Victory to Victory”. Thus, VeDRA’s secretary writes nonsense: “The Homeland War and Croatian anti-fascism brought to life in the partisan struggle of World War II are two pillars of Croatian statehood whose legacy should always be highlighted and respected. That is why these two victories of the Croatian people in 1945 and 1995 are connected and inseparable”. What nonsense, on the contrary, these two victories are INCOMPATIBLE. You persistently try to connect Croatian partisan communist anti-fascism with the Homeland War, but you will not succeed while there are still defenders. That is why we prevented the opening of your Virtual Exhibition.
The undisputed anti-fascist Winston Churchill prophetically declared: "The fascists of the future will be called anti-fascists."
Our statement of October 25, 2025, which you call a "shameful act", clearly states why what you are attempting is not a "shameful" act, but an impossible act. In case you forgot, we are reprinting that part of the statement in its entirety:
"In no case can the "victory" in World War II and the victory in the Homeland War be compared in any way, let alone put in the same context."
We, the defenders, through the victory in the Homeland War and the unity of all Croatian citizens, created the sovereign and independent Republic of Croatia. We won freedom with our blood, fighting against the Serbo-Chetnik aggressor with the five-pointed star and the Chetnik cockade on our foreheads. We did not go to war for any ideals or ideologies, but for our home and homeland. The Republic of Croatia was founded on the achievements of the Homeland War and has no connection with any AVNOJ.
The victory in World War II cannot be said to be the victory of the Croatian people. It is the victory of the communist ideology that took advantage of the circumstances during and after World War II. That ideology produced the greatest sacrifices and suffering of the Croatian people. We do not claim that many did not go to war out of conviction and love for their homeland, nor do we deny their honor and courage. Most of these people died or ended up in prison, and those who survived were not allowed to speak out out of fear. Those who went to war because of communist ideology emerged and who, at the end of the war, led the execution of the Croatian people. And ultimately, after that war, Yugoslavia was created, not Croatia.
That is precisely why we have never appeared at any commemoration, monument or grave of a fallen partisan from Kaštela. However, we have never said a single harsh word about them or shown disrespect. You can read about our attitude towards them at the end of the statement quoted above.
You say that your Kaštela anti-fascist association brings flowers and wreaths to the graves of veterans of the Homeland War, as well as victims of the Allied bombing of Sućurac, on all occasions. It is true that we constantly meet at these commemorations for veterans, but we wonder - aren't you doing this with a fig in your pocket?
Why do we ask this? Because we have never seen you at the commemoration for the victims thrown into the Kevin Pit, not even this year. Archbishop Mate Uzinić was not there, but Monsignor Marko Medo, bishop of the Gospić-Senj diocese, was. Maybe you weren't there because you didn't know, or maybe because the partisan communist anti-fascists from 45, whom you persistently want to connect with the Homeland War, threw innocent people from Kaštela and the Kaštelanska Zagora into that pit. To use your own words: Will you ever grant them an act of mercy?
Regarding the commemoration for the victims of the Allied bombing in K. Sućurac, we have a photo of your wreath from 2024. Pay attention to the colors on the ribbon – blue, white, red. Is this a mistake or a provocation?
So much for that. Let's get back to the VeDRA association.
As you can see, comrades from VeDRA, we have carefully read Ranko Britvić's response. Since we do not use platitudes, we have analyzed it well and drawn some conclusions in order to be able to respond with facts.
You probably know that some conclusions can be drawn even when reading between the lines. Here's an example.
Comrade Britvić says: "We wanted to reduce the current divisions that cause tensions in Croatian society and protect the dignity of those two wars in which Croatian citizens were victorious. Consequently, our main project is "From Victory 45 to Victory 95" within which we organize exhibitions, round tables, book presentations, VeDRA forums, workshops and conferences. We are engaged in publishing, we have our own web magazine, we are active on social networks. We do not depend on any political option, we obtain financial resources ourselves."
First, you have increased the current divisions that are causing tensions in Croatian society, but you are doing so consciously. We have already elaborated on your two victories, but we are interested in this last part of the text and you need to read between the lines. You boast about your forums, workshops, conferences, publishing, and web magazine, which require considerable funds. We cannot afford that, nor can any veterans' association in Kaštela, and we can safely say that neither can the entire county. In addition, you say that you do not depend on any political option and that you obtain financial resources yourself. Interesting! This raises a logical question - where do you get your money, comrades? Does this have anything to do with Protocol 40, with the great humanist Soros, or some foreign foundation?
We are not claiming anything, we are just asking. This question might also be of interest to some government agencies.
And finally, a few facts about you, Comrade Britvić.
From your CV, as it is modernly said today, it is easy to conclude that you are a "defender by official duty". You welcomed the democratic changes as an employee of the SUP, which became the MUP, and you automatically became a Croatian defender. You are a volunteer because, as a result of this automatic process, you have the necessary 100 days until the recognition of the Republic of Croatia, and not because you voluntarily registered to defend the Republic of Croatia. You probably have those 1996 days entered in the Register of Defenders. Without diminishing anyone's contribution and without underestimating anyone's work, the same applies to the clerks and cleaners who found themselves in the Ministry of Defense and the Interior at that time.
That's why we would like to know in which battles you participated.
And once again, so that there is no confusion, the VeDRA association is not a Kaštela association, but is registered in Split, Ban Mladenova 9. You, comrade Britvić, when you represent the association, cannot present yourself as a Kaštela defender, because by doing so you are presenting the association as a Kaštela one. In private life, present yourself however you want.
In Kaštela on December 27, 2025, signed,
CITY BRANCH OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CROATIAN HOMELAND WAR VOLUNTEERS OF THE CITY OF KAŠTELA AND KAŠTELA ZAGORA
Photo: GO UHDDR of the City of Kaštela and Kaštelanska Zagora
