Istria County Prefect Ivan Jakovcic said at the unveiling ceremony that Istria had deeply respected and loved President Tito, adding that those who did not understand that "obviously do not understand Istria".
"Some say that we've gathered here today because we miss communism and (the then) Yugoslavia and that with this act we respond to today's unveiling of the bust of (late Croatian President Franjo) Tudjman in Osijek. However, nothing of this is true, as we are here to pay homage to a world figure asTito was," Jakovcic said, adding new challenges could be dealt with on the grounds of one of the greatest values such as anti-Fascism which Tito created with his comrades.
"The contemporary Europe is established on that anti-Fascist tradition. We are willing to assert that we shall build Istria and Croatia on that heritage," the Istrian Prefect said.
Labin Mayor Tulio Demetlika said the erecton of the bust in that town confirmed the fact that Tito was an extremely important figure in the fight against fascism and that nobody could negate that.
Local associations of Homeland Defence War veterans reacted to today's event in Labin saying in a press release that they "deplore glorification of all ideologies, particularly of fascism, Nazism and communism, and the promotion of symbols of those ideologies".