Video controversial Croatian nationalist artist who gathered tens of thousands of people at a concert in Zagreb. The singer is forbidden in several European countries

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Zagreb on Saturday to participate in a concert of a controversial Croatian nationalist rock singer, Marko Perkovic “Thompson”, who was announced as the largest payment concert in the world, reports Reuters and News.ro.

The police said that over 450,000 tickets were sold for the concert at the Zagreb Hippodrome. Most of the streets in the center of Zagreb were closed to traffic and about 6,523 policemen were mobilized.

Thompson, to whom concerts were forbidden in several European countries, including the Netherlands, Switzerland and Bosnia, is accused of criticism of flirting with the ideology and iconography of the Croatian government of World War II, supported by the Nazis.

500,000 Patriots 🇭🇷 has Attending the Concert of Marko Perković “Thompson” in Zagreb. AMONG Them Also Patriots from Other Country. The Will Sing About Faith, Family and Homeland. Love Croatia 🇭🇷❤️‍🔥 Concert is Starting Now … 😎 We Broke World Record, 500,000 at Once … wow! 🤯… pic.twitter.com/oasmy0oz41

– Endrina Pavlić (@epavlic) JULY 5, 2025

The singer, who took the nickname from the American machine gun Thompson and became popular in the 1990s, during and after the war that followed Yugoslavia, rejects the accusations that his songs glorify the state supported by the Nazis.

Historians say that the Ustaşă movement persecuted and systematically killed Jews, Serbs and Roma between 1941 and 1945.

Thompson has previously stated that his songs simply represent love for God, family, homeland and people. His fans, many of them young and wearing Croatian flags, agree. “I expect it to be good, to have a great time, to be a lot of people and to be an unforgettable experience,” said Josip, one of the spectators.