Ruža Tomašić
| Ruža Tomašić | |
|---|---|
| Member of European Parliament for Croatia | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 July 2013 | |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 22 December 2011 – 1 July 2013 | |
| Constituency | X electoral district |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 22 December 2003 – 12 October 2007 | |
| Constituency | X electoral district |
| 1st President of the Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 12 September 2009 | |
| Deputy | Ivan Tepeš |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 May 1958[1] Mladoševica, SFR Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina)[1] |
| Political party | Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević |
| Alma mater | Ontario Police College |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Ruža Tomašić (Croatian pronunciation: [rǔːʒa tɔ̌maʃitɕ]) (born 10 May 1958) is a Croatian politician. She is a member of Sabor, the Croatian parliament, from December 2011 as representative of the right-wing Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević. From 2003 to 2008 she was MP on the list of Croatian Party of Rights. To the general public in Croatia, she is best known as an anti-drug activist.
Early life
Ruža Tomašić was born in the village of Mladoševica,[1] SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia and grew up with her parents, six sisters and a brother in the Slavonian village of Velika Kopanica.[2] At age 15, she left Yugoslavia and joined her older sister, who was married and lived in Toronto, Canada.[2] Tomašić worked on a variety of jobs to support herself before enrolling at the Ontario Police College, from where she graduated near the top of her class in 1981.[1][2] In her career as a police officer in Toronto and Vancouver, she primarily dealt with juvenile delinquency and illegal drug trade, which included undercover work.[2][3]
Return to Croatia
In September 1990 Tomašić moved to Croatia, upon invitation by president Franjo Tuđman, and became a bodyguard for top Croatian government officials. In 1992, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and chose to go back to Canada to receive medical treatment. She decided to move to Croatia for the second time only in 1998, after recovering completely from her illness. In the meantime, Tomašić appeared in approximately 20 episodes of television series The X-Files and Millennium as a stuntwoman, drawing on her experience of riding a police motorcycle in the mid-1980s.[2][4]
Politics and activism
Tomašić was politically active in the Croatian Canadian community, and became a member of the Croatian Party of Rights as early as 1990. After settling in Croatia with her family in 1998, she began a more earnest involvement in politics, became a vice-president of the Croatian Party of Rights, and entered the 2003 election in the top spot on her party's list in the 10th electoral unit, which gave her a seat in the Parliament.[1][2] Her term ended in January 2008.[1]
In 2009 Tomašić left the Croatian Party of Rights over disagreements with its president, Anto Đapić. She accused Đapić of "betraying the party" and of using his position for personal gain.[5] In September 2009 she was elected president of a new party, Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević.[6][7]
To the general public in Croatia, Tomašić is best known as an anti-drug activist.[8] Aside from helping the addicts and participating in public discussions about drug abuse, she publicly denounced known drug dealers, relying mostly on information received from the addicts' parents.[3][4] She received a number of death threats in 2006, and in 2007 it was reported that organized crime groups had been planning her assassination.[9][10] By that time, she had started carrying a pistol for self-defense, and her family received police protection.[11] In December 2010 Tomašić received the Order of Stjepan Radić in recognition of her efforts in fighting the organized crime.[12] In March 2013, she made headlines for allegedly declaring that "Croatia is for Croats" while "everyone else is a guest".,[13] which she disputed and tried to clarify.[14]
Member of European Parliament
In the European election of 14 April 2013, Tomašić was elected in the European Parliament, placing 6th in the candidates list of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). On 1 July 2013, after Croatia joins the European Union, she took office as Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Tomašić joined European Conservatives and Reformists Group and became member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering.
Personal life
Tomašić lives in Brna, on the island of Korčula, which is the birthplace of her husband Vlado, whom she married in 1987. They have two children, Tomislav (born c. 1988) and Zrinka (born c. 1989).[2][4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Ruža Tomašić". sabor.hr (in Croatian). Parliament of Croatia. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Sinovčić, Dean (5 November 2003). "'Mogu svladati četvoricu muškaraca'" [I can overpower four men]. Nacional (in Croatian) (416). Archived from the original on 3 July 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Ruža Tomašić: Cvik može na slobodu". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). 16 November 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Ruža Tomašić: Spasila sam 13-godišnjakinju od zla prostitucije i heroina". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). 1 August 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ↑ Talijaš, Ante (21 August 2009). "Ruža Tomašić poručila Đapiću iz Šibenika: Izdao si stranku, odstupi!". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ↑ "Ćorić: Oko 70 posto aktivnih članova HSP-a napustilo Đapića". Glas Slavonije (in Croatian). 13 September 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ↑ "Osnovan HSP - dr. Ante Starčević, predsjednica Ruža Tomašić" [HSP - dr. Ante Starčević founded, Ruža Tomašić elected president]. Nacional (in Croatian). HINA. 12 September 2009. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ↑ Biočina, Marko (3 December 2007). "Ruža Tomašić: 'Ja šefica, Anto Đapić savjetnik'" [Ruža Tomašić: "I'm the boss, Anto Đapić is an adviser"]. Nacional (in Croatian) (629). Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ↑ "Narkomafija planira likvidirati Ružu Tomašić". ezadar.hr (in Croatian). Elektronski Zadar d.o.o. 12 May 2007. ISSN 1846-4858. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ↑ "Ruža Tomašić: Policija mi je javila da se čuvam atentatora". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). 12 May 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ↑ "Ruža Tomašić: Kad vodim kćer na pizzu, nosim pištolj i prati nas policajka". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). 4 June 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ↑ "Josipović odlikovao Ružu Tomašić, Dušana Miljuša i Igora Rađenovića". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). 7 December 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.poslovni.hr/hrvatska/ruza-tomasic-hrvatska-je-za-hrvate-ostali-su-gosti-234267
- ↑ http://www.novilist.hr/Vijesti/Hrvatska/Tomasic-Hrvatska-za-Hrvate-a-svi-ostali-su-gosti-nije-moja-izjava