The exhibition, titled “Jasenovac Concentration Camp: Remembrance and Warning”, was opened on Monday by French MEP of Serbian origin Aleksandar Nikolić of the Patriots for Europe group, in cooperation with the Federation of Young Serbs of Europe, and runs until 30 April during the plenary session in Strasbourg.
Croatian MEP Stephen Nikola Bartulica (European Conservatives and Reformists) criticised Nikolić for distributing leaflets that, he said, manipulated victim figures. “Attempts to inflate the number of Jasenovac victims for political purposes are unacceptable. Victims deserve truth, not propaganda,” he said on X.
Davor Ivo Stier (European People's Party/Croatian Democratic Union) said during the plenary session in Strasbourg on Monday evening that the Parliament should adhere to its own resolution on condemning totalitarian regimes when commemorating victims, warning against the misuse of Jasenovac for spreading hatred rather than showing respect. He also criticised what he described as echoes of such narratives within the Parliament.
Tonino Picula (Socialists & Democrats/Social Democratic Party) told Hina on Wednesday that Jasenovac, as a site of mass suffering under a criminal ideology, should be commemorated with full respect, not used for political manipulation or historical revisionism by far-right actors and their backers.
Gordan Bosanac (Greens/We Can!) told Hina the exhibition appeared politically motivated, noting it had not been organised in cooperation with the Jasenovac Memorial Site institution. He questioned whether its organiser would be willing to address other crimes, such as the Srebrenica genocide.
EPP/HDZ delegation head Karlo Ressler told Hina earlier it was wrong to instrumentalise Jasenovac for day-to-day political purposes, accusing Serbia and Republika Srpska, the Serb entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, of doing so for years.
A delegation from Republika Srpska led by its National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandić attended the opening. He said the exhibition aimed to present “the truth” internationally and counter historical revisionism.
Bartulica described Stevandić’s presence as “scandalous”, citing allegations related to his role in the 1990s and arguing that individuals facing such accusations should not be involved in events dealing with sensitive historical issues.
The exhibition features 17 panels with archival material from Republika Srpska and Vojvodina, including calls for mandatory education on crimes committed during the World War II-era Independent State of Croatia.