Marko Perković, better known by his stage name Thompson, has long courted controversy for his pro‑Nazi sympathies and use of extremist imagery in his music. Now, the Croatian folk‑rock icon has shattered records by selling over 500,000 tickets for an outdoor concert this July—a staggering turnout that has human rights groups and anti‑hate advocates sounding the alarm.
Thompson’s career has been dogged by accusations of glorifying the Ustaše, the fascist regime responsible for war crimes during World War II. His concerts frequently feature the “Za dom spremni” salute—a direct echo of Ustaše propaganda—and songs that lionize nationalist and extremist causes. Despite repeated protests and cancellations in Western Europe, Perković’s fanbase remains undeterred, drawing crowds large enough to fill stadiums.
The massive ticket sales for Thompson’s upcoming concert reflect a disturbing trend: the mainstreaming of extremist ideology under the guise of cultural expression. Half a million tickets sold mean half a million attendees willing to overlook—or even embrace—the hateful undercurrents in Perković’s music. This normalization threatens to embolden far‑right movements across the continent.
Human rights organizations, including the Anti‑Defamation League and local European watchdogs, have condemned the concert’s scale. “To allow a figure with Thompson’s track record to perform before such a vast audience is to grant him a platform to spread hate,” said one ADL spokesperson. Several municipalities in Germany and Austria have previously banned Thompson’s performances, citing public safety and the prevention of hate speech.
Croatia’s government has offered lukewarm responses, framing the concert as a matter of free speech. Yet critics argue that freedom of expression does not extend to the celebration of genocidal ideologies. European Union officials are now under pressure to address the loopholes that allow extremist entertainers to thrive, even as member states ban similar performances.
The Thompson phenomenon is a stark reminder that vigilance is required to prevent history’s darkest chapters from repeating. Civil society, political leaders, and cultural institutions must unite to challenge the spread of extremist propaganda. Allowing half a million fans to rally behind a pro‑Nazi icon is not just a Croatian issue—it is a European crisis that demands an urgent, coordinated response to uphold democratic values and human rights.
I don’t like MP Thompson’s music, I have never attended any of his concerts, although I could and I’m not his fan, but I am for freedom of speech. I made a case study of the lyrics in his songs for my own purpose after reading about witch hunt that was orchestrated against him. He is not a pink rose by any means, that’s for sure, but surprisingly there are only a few songs that are really out of line. Most of his repertoire is covering a patriotic songs with no allusion towards WW2. Therefore, my conclusion is that there is a war going on based on the power struggle who has a freedom of speech and human rights. Basically, a freedom of speech is allowed only if someone is sharing my own social values and the threat is coming from all the others who are not sharing my values. That’s is a tribal and a very primitive way of putting the things together. To conclude, although I don’t care about MP Thompson at all, I am now supporting him for this concert, because I don’t want to live in a society that things everything can fit a certain boxes. Those who thinks so can’t think outside one
You claim Thompson’s just a misunderstood patriot and that his critics are tribal primitives trying to box people into rigid ideologies. But here’s the problem:
Thompson starts most concerts with a WW2 fascist slogan “Za dom spremni”, a Croatian equivalent of “Sieg Heil”. Moreover, singing about Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška as “the house of Max’s butchers” with admiration isn’t patriotism — it’s a tribute to genocide.
Let’s take a look at what Thompson has performed live (yes, he has — there’s footage):
“Jasenovac and Gradiška Stara,
that’s the house of Max’s butchers.
Through Imotski, trucks hurry,
carrying the blacks [Ustaše fascist paramilitaries] of Jure Francetić.
In Čapljina, there was a slaughterhouse,
the Neretva carried many [murdered] Serbs
…
Shining star above Metković,
greet Ante Pavelić [fascist dictator] for us.”
That’s not vague nostalgia — it’s a literal tribute to war criminals and extermination camps. Francetić led the Black Legion, an Ustaše unit notorious for its atrocities against Jews, Serbs and Roma. “The blacks” refers to his black-shirted troops. The “butchers” of Jasenovac? That’s a reference to one of the most brutal concentration camps in all of WW2 — a site where hundreds of thousands were slaughtered with knives, hammers and saws.
And that last line — “greet Ante Pavelić”? That’s a shout-out to the fascist dictator of the Independent State of Croatia, Hitler and Mussolini’s puppet who oversaw genocidal campaigns against minorities. This isn’t some obscure history. Pavelić’s regime was one of the most violent in all of Europe during WW2.
So when you say only a “few songs” are out of line, I have to ask — how many odes to fascist death squads and dictators do you think a singer gets before it’s a pattern?
You’re not defending free speech. You’re doing PR for a guy banned in Austria, Germany and Switzerland because his concerts devolve into Nazi salutes and hate chants. Those countries don’t have free speech problems — they have historical memory. The Anti-Defamation League, Human Rights Watch and European Parliament members have all expressed dismay about the normalization of fascist rhetoric at his events.
If you want to support someone who sings about rivers carrying “undesirables” to the sea and hails fascist leaders, fine — own it. But spare us the fake neutrality and “free speech” smokescreen. No one’s buying the act.
Yelling fire in a crowded theater is what this is and is not free speech but hatred