‘Great shame': Singer breaks world crowd record as Nazi salute controversy erupts
Croatian star Marko Perković Thompson has made history with a massive show in Zagreb that reportedly drew more than half a million fans, breaking the world record for the largest ticketed music concert.
But the event has also sparked international outrage over far-right salutes and symbolism among the crowd, with authorities warning that some attendees could face prosecution.
Marko Perković Thompson has made history for the largest ticketed music concert. Photo: Damir Sencar/AFP
Held at Zagreb's Hippodrome on Saturday night, the concert was billed as a 'musical and patriotic spectacle'.
According to event headquarters, around 450,000 tickets were sold, while organisers claimed as many as 504,000 people attended.
That figure would surpass the previous record held by Italian rocker Vasco Rossi, who sold 225,173 tickets for his 2017 show in Modena.
The massive show in Zagreb reportedly drew more than half a million fans. Photo: volimhrvatsku/Instagram
Fans began arriving from the early morning hours on a hot summer day in the Croatian capital, eager to secure their spots at the vast open-air venue.
Fans began arriving from the early morning hours of the day. Photo: volimhrvatsku/Instagram
By evening, the Hippodrome was packed with a sea of people waiting for Thompson to take the stage.
They were eager to secure their spots at the vast open-air venue. Photo: volimhrvatsku/Instagram
The concert kicked off around 9pm and ran for three hours, delivering a powerful performance with one of the most elaborate stage productions ever seen in Croatia.
The stage itself was an engineering feat, standing 33 metres high and stretching 150 metres wide, with the platform elevated three to four metres above the ground to give fans a better view.
Due to the scale of the production, some high-end technical equipment had to be imported from Dubai, as the necessary gear could not be sourced within Croatia.
Authorities called it one of the most logistically complex events ever held in the region.
Nearly 14,000 personnel were on duty throughout the day, including police officers, firefighters, paramedics, Civil Protection units, Red Cross staff and private security.
Authorities called it one of the most logistically complex events ever held in the region. Photo: Photo: volimhrvatsku/Instagram
The Ministry of the Interior reported that 123 people were taken into custody during the event and medical teams responded to 245 interventions at the Hippodrome and nearby Bundek area.
However, the concert has drawn heavy criticism over displays of Nazi-era symbolism and salutes linked to Croatia's World War II Ustaše regime.
Large sections of the crowd were seen responding with the salute. Photo: Damir Sencar/AFP
During the performance, Thompson played songs that included the controversial 'For the homeland, Ready!' salute, a phrase associated with the Ustaše, the Nazi-allied puppet government responsible for mass murders during the Second World War.
He told the crowd, 'With this concert we will show our unity,' adding that he wanted to 'send a message to all of Europe to return to its tradition, to its Christian roots.'
Thompson said he wanted "all of Europe to return to its tradition, to its Christian roots.' Photo: Photo: volimhrvatsku/Instagram
Large sections of the crowd were seen responding with the salute, prompting condemnation from Croatian and international observers.
Croatian Ombudsperson Tena Simonovic Einwalter criticised authorities for failing to send a clear message that such expressions are unacceptable and illegal.
Former Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor accused officials and media of indulging Thompson, while former Serbian president Boris Tadić labelled the scenes 'a great shame for Croatia' and 'eerie' for modern Europe.
The event has also sparked international outrage over far-right salutes and symbolism. Photo: volimhrvatsku/Instagram
Croatian state television reported that a prominent handball player was dropped from his team after attending the show.
Thompson, who has long faced accusations of promoting far-right nationalism at his concerts, has defended his use of the salute as part of Croatia's struggle for independence in the 1990s.
Originally published as 'Great shame': Singer breaks world crowd record as Nazi salute controversy erupts
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Courier-Mail
an hour ago
- Courier-Mail
Hilltop Hoods announce huge 2026 comeback tour of Australia
Don't miss out on the headlines from Music. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australian hip hop heroes Hilltop Hoods will make their long-awaited return to the country's biggest stages in February and March next year. The Never Coming Home tour is the latest in a flurry of activity from the award-winning group who next month release Fall From The Light, the first new studio record in six years. The hip hop trailblazers were deluged with 'what about Australia?' comments on social media channels last week from loyal fans when they revealed UK and European tour dates for August ahead of a hometown run. 'Oh, we have heard (all) about it in the comments section which is fine, I understand it – I feel the same with bands that I like,' Suffa said about the protests from local fans. 'It's just the way that it worked out with the physics, the Northern Hemisphere summer, the rotation around the sun and the Gregorian calendar; it's nothing personal.' Pressure and Suffa on stage during their last Australian tour in 2022. Picture: Matt Jelonek / WireImage. Suffa, Pressure and DJ Debris will kick off the tour at the MyState Bank Arena in Hobart on February 14 and then head to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on February 21, Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on February 28, Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on March 7, Brisbane Entertainment Centre on March 14 and RAC Arena, Perth on March 21. The hip hop group is one of the biggest Aussie artists of all time, with more than 1.3 billion streams on Spotify alone and one million records sold over the past two decades. The Hoods release their first new album in six years gust. Picture: Ashlee Jones / Supplied. They hold the record for the most tickets sold by an Australian artist at Qudos Bank Arena, with more than 15,000 fans rocking the foundations of the venue during the Great Expanse tour in 2019. Suffa said 'a lot happened' to force the long break between albums and tours, although they have kept the fan fires burning with a succession of singles including So Good?, Show Business and Laced Up. 'I had two young children and a cavoodle, so I had my hands full. And Dan had a young lass as well just before lockdowns. We had young families, Covid happened and a bunch of false starts,' Suffa said. 'It sucked at the time, but I think like as far as the album goes, it was good for it in the long run because we shed a lot of the fat.' Suffa (left) showed off his hair for the first time ever in the Don't Happy, Be Worry video. Picture: Supplied. Hoods fans were recently shocked by the group's video for their recent single Don't Happy, Be Worry – because it featured Suffa with hair for the first time in his career. And no, he hasn't had a transplant – he just always hid under a cap. 'That's my real head! That's the only film clip I've ever done without a hat and the amount of people that have said to me, 'I thought you were bald!' I just wear a hat which means I constantly have hat hair,' Suffa said. The Hoods will release the new single Never Coming Home, featuring SIX60, on Friday and tickets for the tour go on sale on July 17 from 10am via Originally published as Hip hop heroes Hilltop Hoods announce comeback to Australian arenas in February and March
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Jennifer Aniston and hypnotist love interest Jim Curtis seen getting cozy in Big Sur a month before Mallorca vacation
Jennifer Aniston and Jim Curtis got cozy in California weeks before their Spain getaway. A Page Six spy spotted the actress, 56, and the hypnotist at the Ventana Big Sur luxury hotel last month. The 'Friends' alum cuddled up to her rumored new beau while dining at the resort's restaurant in June. Aniston's rep has yet to respond to Page Six's request for comment. This weekend, the pair spent more time together in Mallorca with the 'Morning Show' star's pal Jason Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka. While Curtis' relationship history is not known, Aniston was previously married to Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux. Aniston introduced Curtis to her friends in photos obtained by the Daily Mail, and the foursome partied on a yacht later that evening. The Emmy winner, notably, is one of the self-proclaimed coach's half a million followers on Instagram, and she regularly 'likes' his uploads. The 'Cake' star also featured Curtis' book 'Shift Quantum Manifestation Guide: A Workbook for Coding a New Consciousness' in a May slideshow. The Golden Globe winner has remained amicable with her exes, famously hugging Pitt, 61, at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2020. She and Theroux, 53, even text and FaceTime each other, the 'Leftovers' alum told Esquire in 2021. 'We don't talk every day,' the filmmaker, who recently wed actress Nicole Brydon Bloom, clarified at the time. 'It would be a loss if we weren't in contact, for me personally. And I'd like to think the same for her.' The exes were photographed reuniting for dinner in 2023 — and Theroux has publicly supported Aniston on multiple occasions over the years, from her fertility struggles reveal to her heated back-and-forth with JD Vance over 'childless cat ladies.' Since their split, Aniston has not gone public with any romances until Curtis. While she did send tongues wagging in March for going out to eat with Pedro Pascal, a source insisted to Page Six that their bond is 'strictly platonic.' Originally published as Jennifer Aniston and hypnotist love interest Jim Curtis seen getting cozy in Big Sur a month before Mallorca vacation
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Kevin Connolly engaged
Kevin Connolly has got engaged. The Entourage actor has been dating Zulay Henao for seven years and on Friday (04.07.25), he popped the question in his hometown of Long Island, New York, in front of family members including their four-year-old daughter Kennedy. Zulay, 46, told People magazine: "It was intimate, personal and so full of love. Having Kennedy there made it unforgettable." Kevin got down on one knee to propose with a "timeless" and "elegant" diamond ring custom-designed by KC Sukamto. The jewellers created a "classic and modern" piece of jewellery featuring an emerald-cut solitaire with a hidden halo set in two-tone design with a gold band. The happy couple then celebrated with fireworks and an intimate dinner with their close family. Last month, the Modern Muze founder shared a touching tribute to Kevin on Father's Day. Sharing a selection of family photos, she wrote on Instagram: "Happy Father's Day Papi! We love you babe, thank you for being our home! You are Daddying beautifully, just look at the smiles in these pictures… muah baby." Kennedy was born amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2021, and the couple were in "awe" of their little girl. Announcing the tot's birth, Zulay wrote on her Instagram Story at the time: "She's really sweet and patient so far, not too much crying, just really curious about her surroundings. "I just watch in awe. She also has a huge appetite like her momma." Just six weeks later, Kevin and Kennedy contracted COVID-19 Kevin told Victory the Podcast: "I like to think I'm a pretty responsible person, even now that I have a baby. But I don't know, man … whatever this new Delta variant is. F*** man, I got sick. "It's been hard. Anyone that has a kid knows that it's hard when your kid is sick, you know? Because there's really nothing you can do for them." Kevin explained that his symptoms were "brutal" - but he was trying his best to cope with the illness. By contrast, he revealed that his daughter has been "doing great". Kevin explained: "It's just the congestion part, but the fever is down and we're all back on the road to recovery. It's a close call."
