The SafeJournalists Network strongly condemns the escalating campaign of threats, intimidation and incitement to violence against journalists in Croatia following their reporting on incidents involving the Torcida football supporters’ group. The Network calls on the Croatian authorities to ensure the immediate protection of all journalists targeted by these threats and to identify and prosecute those responsible.

The threats began after journalists reported on incidents surrounding the Hajduk Split – Ajax football match, ahead of which Torcida supporters marched through Split chanting Nazi and antisemitic slogans, including references to Hitler and Auschwitz, prompting a hostile backlash against the media, with journalists accused of creating hysteria and conducting a campaign against Torcida, while messages calling them “worms” appeared on clothing, banners and public walls, accompanied by insults and threats.

On 18 October, the Facebook page Narodni Reporteri published photographs of 11 journalists and one political analyst under the headline “The 12 Horsemen of the Croatian Apocalypse”. The post accused them of participating in a campaign against Croatian football supporters and alleged, without evidence, that their work was connected to and financed by Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA). The publication triggered a wave of abusive and threatening comments. Some called for journalists to be expelled from Croatia or prevented from working, while others suggested obtaining their home addresses, expressed wishes for their deaths or openly referred to the creation of a hit list.

The intimidation escalated further on 19 October, when photographs of threatening messages and banners appeared in the Facebook group “Torcida Split 1950”. One message painted on a concrete wall on the Dalmatian coast declared: “Torcida remembers and does not forgive! Journalists are worms.” Even more disturbing was a banner describing the journalistic community as “the greatest evil in Croatian society”, accompanied by an illustration of a tree from which journalists representing Slobodna Dalmacija, Index.hr, Jutarnji list, Večernji list and 24sata were depicted hanging. Another post featuring photographs of journalists suggested that Croatia had not found enough rope for so many “Judases”.

The SafeJournalists Network is particularly concerned about the political rhetoric surrounding these incidents. On 20 October, Ivan Penava, leader of the Homeland Movement (Domovinski pokret), a party in Croatia’s governing coalition, held a press conference in Split at which he condemned the Nazi and fascist slogans but also accused the police and media of conducting a campaign against Torcida supporters. He questioned the publication of photographs of suspects sought by the police and criticised the Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) for expressing concern about the targeting of journalists.

The Croatian Journalists’ Association has reported the incidents to the police and publicly demanded urgent action by law enforcement authorities and prosecutors. CJA has warned that these attacks are part of a broader climate of hostility towards journalists, to which public statements by senior political figures have also contributed.

On 19 October, Croatian Interior Minister Davor Božinović confirmed that police had launched a criminal investigation into the threatening and intimidating messages directed at journalists. He stated that no one has the right to intimidate others, particularly people simply carrying out their professional duties.

The SafeJournalists Network welcomes the announcement of the police investigation but stresses that the authorities must ensure that it produces concrete results and that journalists who have been targeted receive effective protection. Investigations must cover not only direct threats but also the public dissemination of violent imagery and messages encouraging attacks against identifiable media professionals. The Network calls on the Croatian authorities to promptly investigate all reported incidents, identify those responsible and take appropriate legal action. It also urges political leaders and public officials to unequivocally condemn threats against journalists and refrain from statements that undermine their safety or legitimize hostility towards the media.

The SafeJournalists Network stands in full solidarity with all journalists targeted by these threats and will closely monitor the response of the Croatian authorities. The safety of journalists is not a matter of political discretion, but a fundamental obligation of the state.

The SafeJournalists Network will inform relevant national and international stakeholders about these incidents and continue to advocate for the protection of journalists and media freedom in Croatia.

Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica – Tirana, 20 October 2026

Association of Journalists of Albania

Association of Journalists of Kosovo

Association of Journalists of Macedonia

BH Journalists Association

Croatian Journalists’ Association

Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia

Trade Union of Media of Montenegro