80,000 Croats Celebrate With Thompson

Over 80,000 Croats from all Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the diaspora have once again congregated on the small town of Cavoglave on Monday night to celebrate Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day with a concert from popular patriotic rock singer Marko Perkovic Thompson.

Cavoglave is the birthplace of Thompson, who built a Church of Croatian Martyrs there at his own expense, dedicated to fallen Croatian soldiers and to the civilian victims of the war. For this reason every year he organizes a fund-raising concert on 5 August in honour of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day. This year’s concert was the 10th anniversary.
“We can not let Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina be national minorities. Special greetings to everyone from Herzegovina,” said Thompson at the start of the concert, before having a dig at the current political regime, who were booed at official ceremonies in Knin marking the day.

“Those who celebrated in Knin do not love us or Croatia,” Thompson said. Dozens of flares were let off during the concert as the 80,000 party goers sung late into the night. Police made 8 arrests on the night.