Representatives of the associations, which organised the concert in Split on 13 June, said at a news conference in that coastal city on Monday that not any cap or T-shirt with inappropriate insignia had been brought into the venue of the concert.
There were two or three Croatian flags and if Croatian flags represent something ugly then we have nothing to talk about, Kristian Petric told the news conference.
According to Petric, the organisers held a meeting with the police ten days before the benefit concert requesting their intervention to prevent any inappropriate insignia or symbols at the concert's venue in Spaladium Arena.
War veterans' representatives said today they were surprised by the reaction "of the political leadership".
Croatia's President Ivo Josipovic and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor last Wednesday issued a joint statement condemning in the strongest terms the display of fascist insignia at the Split concert. The concert was aired live on the the Croatian Television and Josipovic and Kosor warned about Croatian Radio and Television's (HRT) legal obligation to promote public interest. In that regard, they called on the HRT management to act responsibly and promptly adopt mechanisms making it possible to discontinue broadcasts in case symbols of totalitarian ideologies are displayed or such ideologies are glorified.
Petric said today that the audience could see that there was no hate rhetoric at the event.
In response to objections to the appearance of the Croatian Navy's harmony-singing group at the concert, the war veterans said they supported the group.
The group performed the national anthem, Petric said adding that the organisers asked the defence ministry to allow the group's participation in the concert and that the ministry greenlighted it.