‘Crush the Jews’: Croatian leaders, Israeli embassy slam pro-Nazi chants ahead of Ajax soccer match

Croatian leaders slam pro-Nazi and antisemitic chants by Hajduk Split soccer fans ahead of their UEFA Conference League match against Ajax, while Israel’s embassy voices shock.

Groups of Hajduk Split fans, known as the Torcida, marched through the coastal town ahead of yesterday’s match, chanting, “Crush the Jews,” “Rise up Adolf [Hitler]” and “Let’s go Ustasha,” referring to the country’s World War II pro-Nazi regime, according to local media and footage posted on social media.

???? BREAKING: ???????? Croatian hooligans from #Split while marching today before the game with Ajax ????????, resembled fascist chants like "Crush, crush, crush the Jews," "Auschwitz, Auschwitz," "Rise up, Hitler," and "Come on, come on, Ustaše." pic.twitter.com/A8GykZxNxH

— EAGLE ???????? (@SerbEagleAI) October 15, 2026

Een bijzondere corteo voorafgaand aan de thuiswedstrijd van Hajduk Split tegen Ajax. Voor de stoet reed een auto met daarop een doodskist met de naam ‘Ajax’. pic.twitter.com/adM93yYViX

— Voetbal Ultras (@VoetbalUltras) October 15, 2026

Dozens of fans were detained ahead of the match for violence. During the match, Torcida fans set off flares and other pyrotechnics in the stands, forcing a more than 10-minute stoppage.

An investigation has been opened into the pro-Nazi chants and suspects are being detained, police say.

President Zoran Milanovic, in a statement today, condemns the incident as “unacceptable and shameful.”

He urges swift action against the perpetrators to “show that there is no place in Croatia for the glorification of Nazism and Ustasha ideology.”

Israel’s embassy in Zagreb, in a statement obtained by AFP, says it is “deeply shocked by the serious antisemitic incident that took place in Split.”

Conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also condemns “messages of antisemitism… completely at odds with the values we want to uphold in Croatian society.”

Hajduk Split, who won the game 2-1, issues a statement apologizing to UEFA and Ajax, who “witnessed scenes which we do not want Europe to remember,” while the Croatian soccer federation also condemns the incident.

Croatia’s ultranationalist hardcore supporters have tainted the country’s image for years, notably by chanting pro-fascist slogans and displaying Ustasha symbols.

That regime killed and persecuted hundreds of thousands of ethnic Serbs, Jews, Roma and anti-fascist Croatians.

Croatia was docked a point by UEFA after their fans painted a swastika on the pitch in Split in 2015, ahead of a Euro 2016 qualifier with Italy. The perpetrators were never found.

In recent years, the country has seen a growing tolerance for its pro-Nazi past, and critics accuse authorities of failing to sanction the use of Ustasha emblems.