Ivan Penava, president of the Domovinski pokret (Homeland Movement), has demanded the dismissal of State Secretary Tomislav Bilandžić at the Ministry of the Interior. Bilandžić assumed the post via the DP quota but is not a member of the party.
Penava believes Bilandžić should resign because he expressed support for the police in enforcing the law. Bilandžić stated that, as a long-serving retired officer and manager in the Croatian police, and now as State Secretary, he gives full and unconditional support to the work of the Croatian police. Penava judged this statement to be a clear sign of disloyalty towards him and the party. Stipo Mlinarić Ćipe explained that only the Domovinski pokret can dismiss Bilandžić.
Penava came to Split after the detention of Torcida fans who participated in a neo-Nazi cortege, where he held a press conference to support the supporters. He stood in defence of the detained individuals, accusing the police and journalists of conducting a witch hunt and harassment against the fans.
On Thursday, on RTL television, he again attacked the police and repeated the thesis of a witch hunt and harassment against Torcida fans. He is convinced that the police and Minister Davor Božinović overstepped the mark and made a mistake in their conduct. He compared the treatment of the fans to the treatment of those who set fires last summer, claiming that the police in Split had grossly violated established practice.
Penava admitted that he no longer condemns the publication of a wanted poster with photographs of journalists, and blames journalists for the witch hunt. He claimed that the Ministry of the Interior decided to pump the topic to the point of unconsciousness and that this was the first time such journalistic output, initiated by the Ministry, had been experienced in the Croatian media space. He also said that some journalists, especially left-wing ones, had been waiting for the witch hunt and immediately hitched themselves to the same cart as the police.
Božinović, however, explained that the publication of photographs is a lawful, routine procedure when dealing with suspects who are unavailable, and the police have their photographs. He added that when a suspect's photograph is not in the police records, a composite sketch is used. Penava did not apologise, claiming it was unlawful conduct, a witch hunt and harassment against the fans, and did not retract this in subsequent public appearances.
Penava also stated that it was long overdue to lustrate everyone with Yugoslavophile sentiments, believing that political parties and journalists should have been lustrated. He explains his opposition stance by the differing views of the DP compared to the Government's. He wanted to inform the public that he and his people would not be silenced by Plenković from the Government like the Most members, and stated that they would leave on their own if the DP decided to do so. Plenković once responded to coalition partners with a quick order to the secretary to prepare their dismissals, as we remember with the Most ministers.
