Hajduk Split fans chant pro-Nazi slogans before Ajax match; Croatia condemns, Israel reacts
Hajduk Split supporters chanted pro-Nazi and antisemitic slogans in Split before Thursday's match against Ajax. Croatian leaders condemned it, police opened an investigation, and Israel's embassy in Zagreb said it was shocked and thanked the government.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Hajduk Split fans chanted pro-Nazi and antisemitic slogans at a march in Split on Thursday, before their club's match against the Dutch team Ajax. Al JazeeraLC “Groups of Hajduk Split fans, known as the Torcida, marched through the coastal town of Split before Thursday’s match” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ JNSR “Soccer fans in Split, Croatia, chanted about killing Jews at a rally on Thursday by Hajduk Split fans” Read at JNS ↗ Left · 1Al Jazeera, citing local media, reported chants of "Crush the Jews", "Rise up Adolf (Hitler)" and "Let’s go Ustasha", a reference to Croatia's World War II pro-Nazi regime. Al JazeeraLC ““Crush the Jews”, “Rise up Adolf (Hitler)” and “Let’s go Ustasha”” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ Right · 1JNS, citing the Index.hr news site, reported that the chants referenced Auschwitz and included calls to "Fire up the ovens", "Rise up Adolf" and slogans favouring the Ustaše. JNSR “The chants referenced Auschwitz and included calls to “Fire up the ovens,” “Rise up Adolf,”” Read at JNS ↗
Mixed · 2Police said an investigation was opened and suspects are being detained; the Croatian government said police are conducting a criminal investigation to identify and prosecute those who shouted the chants. Al JazeeraLC “An investigation was opened into the pro-Nazi chants and suspects are being detained, police said.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ JNSR “The police are conducting a criminal investigation to identify and prosecute those who shouted punishable chants in the stands.” Read at JNS ↗ Left · 1President Zoran Milanovic called the incident "unacceptable and shameful" and urged swift action against the perpetrators. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic condemned "messages of anti-Semitism" at odds with Croatian values. Al JazeeraLC “condemned the incident as “unacceptable and shameful”.”“Conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also condemned “messages of anti-Semitism” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ Right · 1The government's main account on X called the chants "shameful behavior" that negates sport and the democratic values of modern Croatia. JNSR “Such shameful behavior constitutes a negation of the sport and the democratic values that modern Croatia cherishes.” Read at JNS ↗
Mixed · 2Israel's embassy in Zagreb said on X it was "deeply shocked" by the antisemitic incident and condemned it in the strongest possible terms. JNS reported that it also thanked the government for its stance. Al JazeeraLC ““deeply shocked by the serious antisemitic incident that took place in Split and condemns it in the strongest possible terms”” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ JNSR “The Embassy of Israel in Zagreb thanked the government for its stance” Read at JNS ↗ Left · 1Al Jazeera reported that dozens of fans were detained for violence before the match, and that flares set off by Torcida fans in the stands caused a stoppage of more than 10 minutes. Hajduk won 2-1 and apologised to UEFA and Ajax, and the Croatian football federation also condemned the incident. Al JazeeraLC “Dozens of fans were detained before Thursday’s match for violence.”“Hajduk Split, who won the game 2-1, in a statement apologised to UEFA and Ajax” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ Mixed · 2Both outlets give background. Al Jazeera says Croatian ultra-nationalist fans have long displayed fascist slogans and Ustasha symbols, that UEFA docked Croatia a point over a swastika painted on the pitch in Split in 2015, and that critics accuse authorities of failing to sanction Ustasha emblems. JNS says fans and rivals of Ajax often call the club's supporters "Jews", and lists earlier antisemitic chanting around Ajax matches, including by Vitesse supporters in April 2021. Al JazeeraLC “critics accuse authorities of failing to sanction the use of Ustasha emblems.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ JNSR “Antisemitism around AFC Ajax matches is a well-documented phenomenon in Europe.” Read at JNS ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Al Jazeera leads with Croatian leaders slamming the chants and places the incident in a long record of Croatian ultra-nationalist fan behaviour and tolerance of the Ustasha past.
- Emphasis
- Official condemnations, detentions, the pyrotechnics stoppage, Hajduk's apology and criticism of Croatian authorities.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the Auschwitz and "ovens" chants reported by JNS or the Ajax-related antisemitism context. It does not say the embassy thanked the government.
- Charged language
- “pro-Nazi”“ultra-nationalist”
- For example
-
“Croatia’s ultra-nationalist hardcore supporters have tainted the country’s image for years” — Al Jazeera
“critics accuse authorities of failing to sanction the use of Ustasha emblems.” — Al Jazeera
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- JNS leads with the Auschwitz-related chants and the Israeli embassy thanking the Croatian government, then sets the incident within antisemitism around Ajax.
- Emphasis
- The Holocaust references in the chants, the government's statement, and a list of earlier antisemitic incidents involving Ajax and Dutch clubs.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the detentions, the flares, the final score, Hajduk's apology or criticism of Croatian authorities' record on Ustasha symbols.
- Charged language
- “Fire up the ovens”“Jews to the gas”
What every side reports
- Hajduk Split fans chanted pro-Nazi, antisemitic slogans in Split before the Thursday match against Ajax.
- The Croatian government and police condemned the chants and opened an investigation.
- Israel's embassy in Zagreb said on X it was deeply shocked and condemned the incident.
Where accounts differ
-
Which competition the match belonged to
- Left
- Al Jazeera's lede says the UEFA Europa League; its text says the Conference League.
- Right
- JNS does not name the competition.
-
Content of the chants
- Left
- Al Jazeera, citing local media, lists "Crush the Jews", "Rise up Adolf" and "Let’s go Ustasha".
- Right
- JNS, citing Index.hr, lists Auschwitz references, "Fire up the ovens", "Rise up Adolf" and pro-Ustaše slogans.
Croatia place
Croatia's president, prime minister and government condemned the chants as shameful and at odds with the country's values, and said police are investigating.
“He urged swift action against the perpetrators to “show that there is no place in Croatia for the glorification of Nazism and Ustasha ideology”.” — Al Jazeera
“We strongly condemn the unacceptable chants glorifying the Nazi regime” — JNS
Hajduk Split organisation
Hajduk Split apologised to UEFA and Ajax for scenes it said it did not want Europe to remember.
““witnessed scenes which we do not want Europe to remember”” — Al Jazeera
Left1 article
-
Pro-Nazi chants before Ajax match slammed by Croatia leaders
Critical Reports official Croatian condemnation and Israel's shock while stressing a history of nationalist fan extremism and lax sanctions.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
JNSR ·
'Rise up Adolf': Croatian soccer fans chant about Auschwitz
Mixed Presents the chants as part of a broader pattern of antisemitism around Ajax, and notes Israel's thanks to the Croatian government.
- 16 Oct 13:42 First Al JazeeraLC Pro-Nazi chants before Ajax match slammed by Croatia leaders
- 16 Oct 13:42 First JNSR 'Rise up Adolf': Croatian soccer fans chant about Auschwitz
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
Ask about this story
Loading…