The concert by Bajtag and Instructors, scheduled for 17 October in Koprinica, will not take place. The organizer announced the cancellation on Friday, citing pressure exerted on the performers and organizers.
In its statement, the organizer stated that unverified and incorrect information had emerged in the public sphere, creating undue pressure on the performers, partners, and organizers. The specific nature of the information was not detailed in the post.
The organizers emphasized that their primary goal was to provide attendees with a safe, positive, and pleasant environment and atmosphere. They assessed that, under the current circumstances, this could not be achieved at the level the audience expected and deserved.
They expressed regret to all those who had been looking forward to this meeting and thanked them for their interest and support. The organizers believe and hope that a new opportunity will arise soon for the fans of Bajtag and Instructors to meet the audience in Koprivnica.
The cancellation of the Bajtag concert followed on the same day that representatives of the Croatian Homeguard Association in Istria had requested that the mayor of Pula, Peđa Grbin, withdraw the engagement of Bajtag for the New Year's Eve celebration. The association had requested that a Croatian performer be engaged instead, stating that they did not wish to hear a performer at the city's New Year's celebration who, they claimed, had performed in the past before troops attacking Croatia and sung to Chetniks.
The mayor of Pula responded that when selecting performers, they do not engage in blood feuds. The Croatian Union of Veterans (HUBR) had previously called on relevant state authorities to introduce clear criteria and mandatory checks on the public conduct of foreign performers.
The HUBR called on ministers to propose to the government the adoption of regulations that would ban entry into Croatia for artists who spread hatred and intolerance, glorify criminals, support aggressive war-mongering policies, do not recognize the crimes committed by aggressors in Croatia, the legitimacy of Croatian operations, and who slander the Croatian nation and state. It mentioned Serbian artists Miroslav Ilić, Lepa Brena, and Momčilo Bajagić-Bajaga.
