In Serbia marked the Day of Uprising, Pupovac: Local Serbs rose up because of the state terror of NDH; Keleminec also appeared

On the anniversary of the Uprising of the People of Croatia, commemorated today in Serbia, political figures and activists gathered to reflect on the historical significance of the event. Among them was Milorad Pupovac, a member of parliament and president of the Serbian Democratic Party of Serbia (SDSS), who spoke passionately about the resistance led by Serbs against the state terror of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). Also present were representatives from other organizations, including Franjo Habulin of the Association of Croatian National Minorities (SABA), Zoran Pusić of the Anti-Fascist League of Croatia, and Rajka Rađenović of the Council of the Serbian National Minority of the Zadar County Executive Board. The gathering included both formal speeches and traditional ceremonies, such as laying wreaths, marking the day with solemnity and remembrance. Pupovac emphasized that the uprising was not merely a struggle for survival, but also for freedom, equality, and peace. He described how, eighty-five years ago, the armed uprising began in Serbia against the genocidal terror imposed by the NDH regime. According to his account, this terror was characterized by systematic efforts to exclude, physically remove, and erase the identities of Serbs, Jews, and Roma. Pupovac noted that within the first hundred days of the NDH’s establishment, nearly thirty legal provisions were enacted aimed at achieving these goals. These measures, he argued, laid the foundation for widespread persecution and violence directed at minority groups. He further explained that the NDH authorities resorted to extreme forms of terror, including intimidation, robbery, arson, beating, rape, and murder, targeting individuals based on their ethnic, religious, cultural, ideological, and philosophical differences. This pattern of brutality extended to the area inhabited by Serbs, particularly in the region of Donji Lapac. Pupovac recounted specific incidents, such as the mass killings in Suvaja, Osretka, and Bubnj near the beginning of July 1941, during which approximately 500 women, girls, children, and elderly were killed over three days. Pupovac asserted that the Serbs who rose up in rebellion did so in response to this state-sponsored terror. He called the act of resistance a legitimate form of opposition, emphasizing that despite periods of losing control over parts of the territory, the spirit of the uprising remained unbroken. The movement spread beyond the initial liberated areas, reaching regions such as Lika, Dalmatia, and throughout Croatia, as well as parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He stressed that while political relationships have changed over time, the historical facts themselves remain unchanged and continue to hold relevance. Pupovac also addressed the negative aspects of the uprising, noting that some actions taken by the resistance were marked by revenge attacks against civilian populations, including Croats and Muslims. He criticized attempts to downplay or label the uprising as controversial or partisan, arguing that such efforts could pose a serious threat to the future of freedom in Croatia, the former Yugoslavia, and Europe. He warned that erasing or distorting the historical narrative of anti-fascism could endanger the principles of liberty and democracy. This year's commemoration also saw the presence of Dražen Keleminec, president of the Autonomous Croatian Party of Rights (Autohtona Hrvatska Stranka Prava), one of the surviving factions of the disbanded Croatian Party of Rights (HSP). At a traditional counter-conference held in Srb, Keleminec and his associates used loudspeakers to play songs such as "Thompsonova Ako ne znaš što je bilo," "Lijepa li si," and "Kreni gardo" by Ivica Fabijan. While the event highlighted different perspectives on the historical legacy of the uprising, it underscored the ongoing importance of remembering and reflecting on the past.