(5 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zagreb, Croatia - 5 July 2025
1. Wide of people walking across closed off bridge towards camera
2. Various of fans carrying Croatian flags and wearing Thompson fan shirts
3. People passing by camera
4. Wide of stage being prepared for concert
5. Wide of concert site
6. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Marko, dog breeder from Zagreb:
“Who else is going to make the largest concert ever, if not Thompson?"
(Reporter asks “Do you usually listen to Thompson?”
“Of course, he holds first place in the heart.”
7. Wide of crowds walking towards concert site, with police parked on motorbikes
8. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Magdalena, student from Zepce in Bosnia:
“I expect a spectacle. There are a lot of our people here, so I believe it will be a beautiful atmosphere.”
Reporter: "Are you a fan of Thompson?"
“Well, I wouldn’t describe myself as the biggest fan, but I know a lot of songs, and I’m happy to be here, among our people.”
Reporter: "This is billed as the largest concert ever in Croatia, are you happy about that?"
“Yeah, why not. This is a big thing for Croatia. And maybe this will make the world hear about us, why not.”
9. Various of Thompson fans walking around
10. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Ivica, war veteran from Pleternica:
“I think he is a solid guy, straight up and honest, a patriot, he doesn’t insult anyone in his songs. He loves everyone. And that’s a problem, for some people, that he loves everyone.”
11. Various of fans wearing shirts with right-wing insignia
12. Fans walking wrapped in Croatian flags
STORYLINE:
A concert by right-wing singer Marko Perkovic, notorious for his perceived sympathy for Croatia's World War II pro-Nazi puppet regime, has drawn tens of thousands of his fans to Zagreb on Saturday.
Some 450,000 are expected to be in attendance at the Hippodrome later in the evening, the biggest concert in Croatia's history, according to the police, viewed as a major security challenge.
Perkovic, also known as Thompson, has been banned from performing in some European cities over frequent pro-Nazi displays at his gigs, but he remains hugely popular in Croatia, frequently attending rallies and sports events.
Organizers said any display of any hate-fueling insignia is strictly banned at Saturday's concert.
Some fans were seen wrapped in Croatian flags while others wore black Thompson-inscribed T-shirts.
In Zagreb, a city of nearly 700,000 people, the event has been virtually blocked and traffic suspended in various areas days before the event.
Authorities deployed thousands of police officers and set up a special control center and a field hospital.
The state-owned HRT television said snipers were guarding the venue and helicopters were flying above as visitors streamed in.
Some fans told The Associated Press they expected good fun and were happy to be at such an event gathering so many Croats in one place.
“Thompson is a patriot. He does not insult anyone, he loves everybody," sai... [truncated]
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Video at Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSl77nw-IuI