The unacceptable public statement made by the leader of the supporters’ group Demoni, directed at Istarski.hr journalist Nenad Čakić, constitutes a direct attack on the professional integrity of journalists and on media freedom.
The Istrian County branch of the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) strongly condemns the vulgar verbal threats that the leader of the Demoni supporters’ group, Igor Budeš, posted on social media against Istarski.hr journalist Nenad Čakić, following his journalistic commentary on the behaviour of Istrian supporters’ groups at the Aldo Drosina stadium in Pula.
In his article, the journalist referred to a banner displayed by the supporters’ group bearing a message about persons missing from the Homeland War, which read: “If you care about culture, answer where the 1,740 missing persons are? We do not forget! Croat to Croat.” He analysed the message of the supporters’ group, which on the banner referred to recent events in Split, where a masked group of men disrupted a programme of the Serbian Cultural Society, an action that was later supported by the supporters’ group Torcida through an organised gathering.
In his commentary, Nenad Čakić analysed, among other things, the content and messages of the displayed banner, which is a legitimate part of journalistic work and public debate. Instead of a reasoned response, he was subjected to unacceptable insults by the leader of the supporters’ group.
The insults directed at the journalist constitute unacceptable pressure on journalists and are aimed at intimidation and undermining their professional integrity. The disputed Facebook post by the leader of the Demoni supporters’ group subsequently incited inflammatory and insulting comments directed at journalists in general, including language that dehumanised journalists and fostered an atmosphere of intolerance.
The unacceptable statement by the leader of the Demoni supporters’ group represents a direct attack on the professional integrity of journalists and on media freedom. Threats and intimidation cannot be a means of addressing journalists, nor do they have any place in a democratic society based on dialogue, accountability, and mutual respect.
For the Istrian County Branch of the Croatian Journalists’ Association,
Danijela Bašić-Palković, Branch President