Ivan Pernar (Croatian politician)

Ivan Pernar
Member of the Croatian Parliament
for 6th electoral district
Assumed office
14 October 2016
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković
Personal details
Born (1985-10-14) 14 October 1985
Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
(now Croatia)
Political party Human Shield
Children 1 (Mathis)

Ivan Pernar (born 14 October 1985) is a Croatian politician and activist. In June 2011, he founded the Alliance for Change party, which later became Human Shield. He is a member of Croatian Parliament since the 2016 elections, elected in the 6th electoral district on the list of Human Shield, Let's change Croatia and Youth Action.[1]

Personal life

Pernar finished 10th Gymnasium in Zagreb and then enrolled at University of Applied Health Sciences in Zagreb, where he earned a degree in senior nursery.[2] Pernar has a son, Mathis Ivan Alexis, with a German woman named Friederike.[3]

Pernar is ethnic Austrian.[4] His grandfather's uncle, also named Ivan Pernar, was a member of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes for the Croatian Peasant Party and was one of several people wounded by People's Radical Party MP Puniša Račić on June 20, 1928.[5]

Political career

Green Party in Croatia

Pernar joined the Green Party in Croatia in 2009. However, he was expelled from the party in November 2010.[6] In February 2011, Vlasta Toth, the party's president at the time, told Večernji List that Pernar was expelled due to his political beliefs. She claimed that while Pernar was a council member of the Green Party in Stenjevec, he told an audience of around 150 people during a panel on urbanism that "intellectual gossip doesn't lead to anything" and that "he read Mein Kampf from which he learned how to influence the masses."[7] Pernar responded to the Večernji List piece, admitting his reference to Mein Kampf.

“ "Hitler is a lunatic, and although I did not read his book entirely, I read only the part which discusses how, when sending a message to the masses, one needs to drop to the understanding of the small, ordinary man and the messages must be conveyed in simple words, not with complicated vocabulary and philosophizing. Because the people will never be able to understand if you use highly intellectual rhetoric. There, that's what I said in that discussion. I spoke about the approach to people and that civil associations complicate messages to people too much and that's why people don't understand them."[7] ”

2011 protests against Jadranka Kosor

Pernar was one of the organizers of massive "Facebook protests" in 2011 aimed against the government under the administration of Jadranka Kosor. The protests started in Zagreb, and then spread to all major Croatian cities such as Pula, Split, Rijeka and Slavonski Brod.[2] Despite initial success in mobilizing and leading as many as a thousand people, he soon came to the verge of being physically attacked by some protesters for wishing to burn a Croatian flag in Osijek.[8]

After the protests, he founded his own political party "Alliance for Changes", which soon changed its name to Human Shield.[9] Along with other members of his party, Pernar soon engaged in passive resistance to forced evictions in Croatia, for which he was, according to his own account often arrested by the police.[10]

Accession to the Croatian Parliament

In the Croatian parliamentary election, in September 2016, Pernar won 15.66% of preferential votes of his constituency and thus entered the Croatian Parliament for the first time.[11] After one month of work, he became credited as the most active MP in Croatian Parliament by the Croatian media.[12] On November 29, 2016, Stjepan Vujanić, president of political party "Alphabet of Democracy", announced that Pernar would become a member of his party. Pernar later explained that he made this move as a revolt because Croatian Ministry of Public Administration refused to register his new political party "The Only Option".[13] On October 11, 2016, he was criticized by parliament speaker Željko Reiner for eating pizza during a session.[14] On December 14, 2016, Pernar accused Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts of being "a decorative office, cultural poseurs and quasi-intellectuals" for not dealing with issues of relevance for Croatian society.[15]

On January 20, 2017, Pernar and his party colleague Ivan Vilibor Sinčić became the first MPs to have been forcibly expelled from the parliament since Croatia's independence,[16] after Pernar refused to leave the session on order of speaker Željko Reiner.[17]

Views

Criticism of the Catholic Church in Croatia

In January 2017, Pernar declared that he no longer identified as a Roman Catholic, and accused the Catholic Church in Croatia of being "the long arm of Croatian Democratic Union".[18] He criticized the Catholic Church for "banning marriage of clergy members, worship in front of statues, and the infallibility of the Pope".[18] In an interview with Total Croatia News, Pernar stood against the funding of the Catholic Church from the state budget, indicating that it caused a perverse incentive for the Catholic Church to participate in partisan politics:

“ "The money is being taken compulsorily from everybody, and then the clergy receives hundreds of millions of kuna. Then it is only logical that the clergy supports the Croatian Democratic Union in return."[19] ”

When he was asked about his alleged impartiality to the Serbian Orthodox Church, Pernar said that the Orthodox Church "realized its mistake from the time when it advocated for nationalism, and it is not longer advocating that in Croatia."[19] Referring to the Republika Srpska Krajina as "the insurgency", Pernar added that "Orthodox priests took part in the insurgency, which ended catastrophically for the Serbian people."[19]

Pernar and the Serbian Orthodox Church became a focus of the local press again on January 6, 2017, when he attended a Badjnak ceremony after having been invited by a Serbian Orthodox Church.[20] He later wrote on his Facebook page that "the Serbian Orthodox Church does not have the goal of bringing the Croatian Democratic Union to the government, and does not interfere with our politics and deals with religious questions. That cannot be said for the Catholic Church".[20] Index.hr reported that Pernar's writings received a series of racist comments and that he was also called a "communist" by many readers.[20]

Former Yugoslavia

In a discussion with Boris Malagurski in December 2016, when Pernar was asked who he thought was responsible for the breakup of Yugoslavia, Pernar replied, "all the peoples equally, but most of all Milošević who wanted to lead a dictatorship, instead of a loose confederation, which actually made a new co-existence of Yugoslavia impossible since he wanted Serbs to govern over all the others."[21] Pernar also gave a mixed assessment about Josip Broz Tito for whom he said, "[Tito] built factories, defended workers' rights, for this I take my hat off".[21] However, he criticized Tito on the grounds of the Bleiburg repatriations, to which he referred when he said, "after World War II he liquidated tens of thousands of Croats, for that I would take off his head."[21] When Pernar was asked whether he is for the reunification of Yugoslavia, he replied that "for an economic [Yugoslavia] yes, but co-existence in the sense of a united state is thoughtless."[21]

In an interview with Moja Hercegovina, Pernar elaborated his views on Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time. He stated that "Serbs in Republika Srpska, although they have their own entity, do not have anything of it. People are moving out, children are not being born, and all of that is a consequence which leads to the disappearance of Serbs in this region."[22] He argued that Bosnia and Herzegovina should be more united, and spoke against Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina having their own entity, adding that Serbs "would not get anything" from Republika Srpska gaining independence.[22]

“ "Political leaders need to sit at the table and agree. Entities need to be abolished so that the people won't be embroiled. As long as the people in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not reconcile, they will collapse together and blame each other. If the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina haven't decided to live better and as long as they argue on national fundamentals while foreigners economically destroy them, they will collapse and disappear from this region. The citizens need to revolt against the slavish way of managing their country."[22] ”
"...imagine that I walked around Banja Luka and that I offered every Serb who walked by me a knife and told him that he could kill me because I'm a Croat and that no one would punish or judge him...I am certain that 99% of them would not do that, which means that Serbs are not a genocidal people."

Ivan Pernar, November 19, 2016[23]

In November 2016, Pernar published a Facebook status exploring the reasoning behind Srebrenica genocide denial, and began with, "I noticed that some Serbs are afraid to be labeled as a genocidal people if they admit there was genocide in Srebrenica."[23] In the same status, he wrote that the Independent State of Croatia (using the term "Croatian government"[23]) was responsible for genocide in Jasenovac,[23] and that Operation Storm was an act of ethnic cleansing.[23] However, he distinguished the Croatian people from the government, asserting that the responsibility was that of a "genocidal group of people and those who were manipulated by their politics."[23] His party, Human Shield, subsequently published a statement distancing from Pernar's statements about Jasenovac and Operation Storm, saying that "...in the case of assessing events from the Croatian past he didn't only not put forward opinions of the party, moreover, he put forward opinions which are the opposite of the overwhelming majority of the membership of Human Shield."[24]

Foreign policy

European Union

In an interview with Croatian news site 4Dportal, Pernar said that his party is "against entry into the European Union because it is ruled by unelected banker cartels and bureaucrats, there is no democracy [in the EU]."[25] In another interview, he stated that his party would only consider a coalition with other parties if they challenge or terminate Croatia's membership of the European Union.[26]

NATO

In an October 2016 discussion with Sputnik, Pernar stated that "NATO supports overthrowing legitimate governments through bombings instead of advocating democracy."[27] On November 23, 2016, Pernar spoke to the Croatian Parliament against the ratification of Montenegro's accession to NATO, reading a letter written by Montenegrin activist Marko Milačić.[28]

Israel and Palestine

In a guest appearance for Bosnian channel OSM Televizija's talk show called "Face of the Nation", Pernar said that Israel was responsible for ethnic cleansing in the 1948 Palestinian exodus.[29] In November 2016, Pernar wore a Palestinian scarf to the Croatian Parliament.[30]

Social issues

In September 2016, Pernar participated in a discussion with LGBT portal Crol.hr about the LGBT community in Croatia. Pernar said that "homosexuals are not an endangered group", but stated that they are "one of a long series of groups which the clerical right turned their backs on."[31] Pernar gave a mixed assessment of gay activism in Croatia, saying that "unfortunately, some gay activists reduce their struggle to a narrow spectrum of society".[31] However, he did say that homosexuals should have protection from the state, saying "so that if their parents throw them out of their homes they don't have to prostitute themselves in order to not become homeless, so that they can have normal jobs, pay, and so they don't live in fear of [law] enforcement or the cutting off of electricity and water."[31]

In December 2016, Pernar argued for the legalization of marijuana in Croatia. He suggested that it would reduce emigration from Croatia if it were legalized.[32]

Controversies

In October 2016, Pernar was a guest to TV personality Vesne Kljajić on Z1 Television.[33] Pernar claimed he had met Freemasons while visiting the Czech Republic. He alleged that the Freemasons offered him power and media exposure, under the condition that he "does not bring into question the process of making money".[33] He said that he rejected this offer in favor of going his own way, and recommended to all viewers to turn their hearts towards Jesus.[33] In the same interview Pernar said that some MP's in Croatian parliament aren't loyal to the state, but to the secret societies instead.[33]

In October 2016, Pernar accused Croatian lawyer and media magnate Marijan Hanžeković of "being a Freemason of the 33rd degree who sold his soul to the devil and attacks everyone who opposes him using his disgusting yellow journalism".[34] Hanžeković responded by raising a lawsuit for libel against Pernar and asked the Croatian parliament to relieve Pernar of his immunity. Pernar commented on the lawsuit, saying, "Hanžeković is Satan's delegate which insults him for the last five years", and stood by his earlier allegations on Hanžeković and Freemasonry.[35] He also said that he puts "his parliamentary mandate into the hands of Jesus Christ".[35] The Credentials and Privileges Commission of Croatian Parliament concluded that Pernar's immunity should be left unchanged, but warned him not to use foul language and hard words anymore.[36]

In November 2016, Pernar was a guest for Croatian talk show "Nedjeljom u 2". After fifteen minutes, he abandoned the studio and accused TV host Aleksandar Stanković of not allowing him to finish his talking points.[37] He later uploaded a video to social media, in which he threatened to fire Stanković should his party come to power.[38] Stanković responded by filing a lawsuit against Pernar, stating that he started to receive threats as a result of the Pernar conflict.[39] The Credentials and Privileges Commission did not challenge Pernar's immunity, but instead expressed criticism towards Pernar's behavior.[40]

In December 2016, the Credentials and Privileges Commission decided to relieve Pernar of his parliamentary immunity for spraying a graffiti in Sesvete.[41] In his defense, Pernar referred to a passage from the Bible known as Pericope Adulterae, after which parliament speaker Željko Reiner remarked that Pernar compared himself to Jesus.[42] Pernar denied that he compared himself to Jesus, calling himself "not worthy even to wash his legs."[42] However, in regards to the accusations of Jesus comparisons, Pernar did say, "I have a similar role to his. We are both victims of false political processes."[42]

On December 26, 2016, Pernar expressed his doubts on the 2016 Berlin terrorist attack in a Facebook post.[43] In his post, he shared a video by Gerhard Wisnewski which claimed that there were no proven victims or evidence of the attack.[43] Pernar subsequently claimed that he deliberately published "de facto fake news" to see if his post would be covered more by Croatian publications Index and Telegram than the affairs surrounding Ivo Sanader and the arbitration of Tomislav Karamarko.[44]

On January 9, 2017, Pernar wrote a Facebook status claiming that pharmaceutical companies make poisoned vaccines which "mark people like livestock". Furthermore, he asked his followers why "such small needles leave such big marks" and why "vaccined children develop autism".[45] Such claims drew criticism from the local media[46][45][47][48][49] ranging from calling Pernar a conspiracy theorist,[49] to referring to the MMR vaccine controversy case in order to dismiss his claims.[48] Croatian Ombudsman for Children Ivana Milas-Klarić and certain pediatricians also expressed outrage for Pernar's claims. Milas-Klarić accused Pernar that by publishing such status, he violated the article 24 of UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child which guarantees children the "highest attainable standard of health"[50] and described his actions as "sad".[51]

Later that month, three different schools from Zagreb reported Pernar to the police due to unauthorized entry, ignoring warnings of their employees, and taking selfies with minors without parental permission.[52] In his text messages to one of the students, Pernar asked a student to skip class to meet him.[53] Croatia's Ombudsman for Children, Ivana Milas Klarić, called the text messages "concerning", and criticized Pernar for using the students for political and self-promotion.[53]

Books

References

  1. ↑ "Hrvatski sabor - Ivan Pernar".
  2. 1 2 "Ivan Pernar: Nije važno što, samo da se ruši".
  3. ↑ "Jutarnji: PERNAR O SINČIĆU KOJEG JE DOBIO NAKON LJETNE AVANTURE S NJEMICOM FRIEDERIKE" (in Croatian). October 27, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  4. ↑ http://www.zgizbori.hr/izbori/zg231lok.nsf/0/0EFE83BEE43093BCC125811700506D41/$FILE/Rjesenje_skupstina.pdf
  5. ↑ "PERNAR U BEOGRADU: Bio u srpskoj skupštini, gdje je pucano na djedovog strica". 16 November 2016.
  6. ↑ Vedran Marjanović (February 26, 2011). "Slobodna Dalmacija: Bivša stranka o vođi prosvjeda: Pernar je učio od Hitlera" (in Croatian). Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Večernji List: Pernar: Ne smijem u centar i sad mi podmeću da mi je uzor Hitler" (in Croatian). February 25, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Ivan Pernar umalo dobio batina na prosvjedu u Osijeku".
  9. ↑ "SAVEZ ZA PROMJENE (ŽIVI ZID): NUDIMO KRAJ DUŽNIČKOM ROPSTVU - Udarno.com".
  10. ↑ "VIDEO: Ivan Pernar: Uhićen sam 17 puta, ovo je prvi put da su me skinuli do gola - Dnevno.hr".
  11. ↑ "Ivan Pernar ušao u Sabor zahvaljujući preferencijalnim glasovima".
  12. ↑ "Ivan Pernar najaktivniji saborski zastupnik, slijede ga Miro Bulj i Gordan Maras".
  13. ↑ "Dnevnik.hr - UČLANIO SE U ABECEDU DEMOKRACIJE Sretni smo da nam je Pernar došao, on je pravi dečko".
  14. ↑ Raif Okić (December 11, 2016). "Express: Pernar u Saboru jeo pizzu, Reiner puk'o: "Dosta svinjarija"" (in Croatian).
  15. ↑ "Pernar bezobrazno izvrijeđao HAZU i akademike: Vi ste dekoracijski ured, kulturni manekeni i kvazi intelektualci".
  16. ↑ "Jutarnji Vijesti: POTPUNI KAOS U SABORU: PRVI PUT U POVIJESTI OSIGURANJE IZBACILO ZASTUPNIKE" (in Croatian). January 20, 2017.
  17. ↑ Vedran Pavlić (January 20, 2017). "Total Croatia News: MPs Pernar and Sinčić Forcibly Removed from Parliament".
  18. 1 2 Linda Draškić (January 7, 2017). "Večernji list: Pernar: Nisam katolik i ispisao sam se iz Katoličke crkve. Ona je produžena ruka HDZ-a" (in Croatian).
  19. 1 2 3 Paul Bradbury (January 8, 2017). "Total Croatia News: MP Ivan Pernar on Catholic Church, Trump, INA, Conspiracy Theories, and Much More". Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  20. 1 2 3 "Pernar: Evo zašto Badnjak sa SPC, a ne katoličkom crkvom" (in Serbian). January 7, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Bojan Arežina (December 6, 2016). "Pernar otkrio što misli o Titu, Tuđmanu, Miloševiću, Jugoslaviji..." (in Croatian). Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  22. 1 2 3 Nikolija Bjelica (November 7, 2016). "Moja Hercegovina: Ivan Pernar za MH: Iako imaju RS, Srbi nemaju ništa od toga" (in Bosnian). Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Al Jazeera Balkans: Pernar: U Jasenovcu bio genocid, Oluja je etničko čišćenje" (in Croatian). November 19, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Al Jazeera Balkans: Video: Svađa Pernara sa putnicima u tramvaju" (in Croatian). November 20, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  25. ↑ Martinović, Ratko. "Ivan Pernar: EU nije demokracija, njome vladaju bankari i birokrati! - 4Dportal".
  26. ↑ NACIONAL. "PERNAR "Ako HDZ pokrene izlazak Hrvatske iz NATO-a i EU-a, Živi zid bi mogao razmisliti o suradnji" - NACIONAL.HR".
  27. ↑ "Sputnik: NATO 'Posing a Threat to the Whole World Like Hitler's Germany'". October 27, 2016.
  28. ↑ YouTube: Ivan Pernar u Saboru čita pismo Marka Milačića poslanicima Hrvatske (in Croatian). November 23, 2016. Accessed April 22, 2017.
  29. ↑ GLOBAL C.I.R. (20 March 2016). "Ivan Pernar: 'Israel was established on ethnic cleaning of Palestinians'" – via YouTube.
  30. ↑ "Dnevnik: Pernar u Saboru s palestinkom : "Odmah mi je prišao Hasanbegović i pozitivno me iznenadio"" (in Croatian). November 29, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  31. 1 2 3 "Crol.hr: Pernar: 'Ne vidim više smisla u tome da se ugrožene grupe smatraju manjinama kad su zapravo većina'" (in Croatian). September 7, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Index: Pernar traži legalizaciju marihuane: "Svi bi bili veseliji, mladi više ne bi odlazili"" (in Croatian). December 14, 2016.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "Pernar: Susreo sam se s predstavnikom masonske lože, ali Isus nam treba biti uzor" (in Croatian). October 28, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Večernji list: Pernar ne bira riječi: Hanžeković je mason 33. stupnja koji je prodao dušu vragu" (in Croatian). October 21, 2016.
  35. 1 2 "net.hr: HANŽEKOVIĆ TUŽI PERNARA: ‘Bog me štiti od monstruma. Isuse, predajem imunitet u tvoje probodene ruke’" (in Croatian). November 16, 2016.
  36. ↑ Maja Šurina (November 17, 2016). "tportal.hr: Pernar preživio: Imunitet mu ostaje, ali mora paziti na jezik" (in Croatian).
  37. ↑ Linda Draškić (November 13, 2016). "Večernji list: Ivan Pernar iz protesta napustio intervju kod Stankovića nakon samo 15 minuta" (in Croatian).
  38. ↑ "Večernji list: Stanković kazneno prijavio Pernara, Pernar mu zaprijetio otkazom 'kad Živi zid formira vlast" (in Croatian). December 13, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Index: Stanković tuži Ivana Pernara: "Sustavno me vrijeđa i huška ljude, dobivam prijetnje"" (in Croatian). December 13, 2016.
  40. ↑ Maja Šurina (January 18, 2017). "tportal.hr: Pernar preživio: Stanković ga više neće moći tužiti" (in Croatian).
  41. ↑ Maja Šurina (December 8, 2016). "tportal.hr: Zbog grafita Pernar ostao bez imuniteta" (in Croatian).
  42. 1 2 3 Zlatko Crnčec (December 9, 2016). "Novilist: Pernar: Isus i ja smo žrtve montiranih procesa" (in Croatian).
  43. 1 2 "Index: Pernar linkao ekstremistički islamski portal: "Ima li uopće žrtava u Berlinu"" (in Croatian). December 26, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Direktno: Pernar opet hvali Karamarka, ismijao Telegram i Index: Ulovili se na udicu" (in Croatian). December 26, 2016.
  45. 1 2 "Pernar ima suludu teoriju zašto se cijepimo i nije ga sram javno je podijeliti".
  46. ↑ "Pogledajte kako je Facebook 'prijatelj' spustio Ivanu Pernaru".
  47. ↑ "BUBNUO GLUPOST I OSTAO ŽIV: Ivan Pernar na Facebooku iznio suludu teoriju o cijepljenju". 9 January 2017.
  48. 1 2 Vijesti.hr. "Pernar ponudio novu teoriju zavjere, pa natjerao i satiričnu stranicu 'Di su pare?' na smrtno ozbiljnu reakciju".
  49. 1 2 "Pernar paranojom natjerao satiričare 'Di su pare?' na ozbiljan status: Žigošu nas kao stoku!".
  50. ↑ "Convention on the Rights of the Child".
  51. ↑ Komunikacije, Neomedia. "Struka zgrožena izjavom zastupnika o cjepivu: 'Žalosno je što Pernar poziva na kršenje zakona i dječjih prava / Novi list".
  52. ↑ "Slobodna Dalmacija: Tri škole prijavile Pernara: Agresivan je, neovlašteno snima maloljetnike i njima manipulira, na jednoj fotografiji unutar škole uočili smo i neobičan smotuljak..." (in Croatian). January 29, 2017.
  53. 1 2 Mirela Lilek (January 31, 2017). "Jutarnji Vijesti: Pernar nagovara učenike da bježe, ravnatelji čekaju stav Ministarstva" (in Croatian).
  54. ↑ "Političke elite: Pernar nam postaje veliki problem".
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