Domovina Urednistvo
Piše: Fabian Lovoković
Godine 1964. Australski ministar predsjednik Robert Menzies, izrekao je ove riječi u australskom Parlamentu, nakon brojnih provokacija lijevih i komunističko orijentiranih predstavnika prijatelja Jugoslavije ali neprijatelja Hrvata u Australiji.
– I turn now to the matter of immigration from Yugoslavia. To understand the attitudes of these migrants it is necessary to remind ourselves that this part of Europe has an exceedingly complex and troubled history. Yugoslavia emerged from the political settlements of World War I. It brought together as a union a number of southern Slav peoples including Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, under the Serbian King Alexander. The Serbs obtained their independence from the Ottoman Empire during the nineteenth century and were numerically the largest group in the new State. The Croats had formerly enjoyed a degree of autonomy within the Austro-Hungarian empire and retained a national identity dating back as early as the ninth century. Deep differences of religious, cultural and historical kinds have existed between the groups despite kindred racial origins.
– Within the new State, the Croats sought a federal concept of government with a large degree of local autonomy. In 1928, the leader of the Croats, Stjepan Radić of the Croatian Peasant Party and two of his colleagues were assasinated in the Parliament in Belgrade. This precipitated a profound breach between Serbs and Croats. The Croats developed strong agitation in support of independence, Peasant Party leaders taking their cause to the League of Nations. Some Croat Parliamentary representatives were arrested, others, among them dr. Ante Pavelić, went into exile.
– It was at this time that a revolutionary movement called Ustashi, meaning «insurgents» was founded, both in Croatia and abroad, Pavelić being one of its first leaders. This movement, in common with other Croat organisations, took as its symbol the traditional Croatian emblem of a white and red check shield but associated with this emblem the letter “U”. The traditional emblem, both with and without the “U” is to be found in extensive use today by Croatian migrant groups throughout the world.
– It is difficult for people coming to Australia easily to forget their historical backgrounds. Since the war a number of organisations opposed to the present Government of Yugoslavia have developed throughout the world amongst refugees and migrants from that country. It is understandable that some Yugoslav migrants of Croatian origin should continue to hope for the establishement of an independent Croatia and within a democracy like Australia they have right to advocate their views so long as they do so by legitimate means. I wish to make it perfectly clear that the vast majority of the migrants from all parts of Yugoslavia who have settled in Australia have proved to be law abiding, hard working citizens and a real asset to this country.
…So I make the Government’s position quite clear: This Government will not interfere with freedom of opinion. Equally, it will not tolerate any activities which constitute a breach of the law – rekao je Robert Menzies, australski političar koji je najduže, čak 18 godina bio premijer i na taj način obilježio cijelo jedno razdoblje političkog života Australije.
