By: Ivan Šokić
In Croatia, cameras in the woods caught columns of illegal migrants moving towards Slovenia. Some of the illegal migrants were armed with machetes, while according to the author of the publication of the disputed photos, some even carried rifles stolen from local hunting lodges.
“It is unfortunate that many want to deny the real situation regarding the intrusion of illegal migrants into Croatia,” wrote a well-known mountain guide Tomislav Majnarić from Delnice on Facebook and attached several photos of illegal migrants taken by cameras on the forest path between Mrkopalj and Brestova Draga.
The photos clearly show illegal migrants, some of them also armed with machetes. “Here are just a few pictures of one surveillance camera from the Mrkopalj area. Look at what was recorded by just one camera in just one location,” Majnarić wrote in response to a writing by Novi list, where they assured the public that there was no problem with migrants and that there were no illegal migrants.
According to Slobodna Dalmacija, the recordings published by Majnarić were taken on September 10th, 12th, and 13th, 2020, and one of the photographs was taken on October 25th, 2020. Majnarić was provided with the published recordings by a friend who did not want to be exposed in public due to the fear of feeling the consequences at work. According to Majnarić, the local population of Gorski Kotar lives in fear, while local authorities, in cooperation with the media, convince the public that there are no problems with migrants.
“These groups rob mountaineers, random passers-by… They are all armed with cold steel or firearms. They break into weekend houses, but because there are a lot of hunters in these places, they find rifles, which they take with them, among other things,” said Majnarić. “I know mountaineers who were robbed,” Majnarić admitted, revealing that some mountaineers were even stabbed by illegal migrants and threatened with death. Bandits steal cell phones, clothes and money. Invaders more or less avoid food because they do not like pork.
Migrants – Something we need to adapt to?
According to Majnarić, the issue of the migrant crisis was completely overshadowed by the corona crisis. Those responsible know what is going on, but do not react. People lost confidence in the police as a result. Break-ins into weekend houses, vehicle thefts and other migrant crime have become a new normality that the local population has been forced to come to terms with. Police report that there has been a decrease in illegal migration compared to 2019, Majnarić warns that people have simply stopped reporting cases of damage as they have found illegal migrants untouchable. Even if the police catch them, the only measure for them is deportation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, from where they cross the border again in a few days and continue their journey through Croatia. All the damage caused by illegals must be compensated by the residents themselves. Then why call the police at all, Majnarić wonders.
Migrants, meanwhile, move through the woods in groups of 20 to 50 people. If the locals resist, they know they will have to answer for any consequences themselves. The state will protect illegal migrants, even though they are armed with machetes and rifles. Meanwhile, the mayor of Mrkopalj, Josip Brozović, insists that the migrant crisis is not such a terrible problem, but that, like corona, it is simply necessary to learn to live with migrants who rob, steal, intimidate and threaten.