Croatian government minister Ivan Šipić targets journalist Ante Tomić in online attacks

“We are concerned by Minister Ivan Šipić’s rhetoric targeting columnist Ante Tomić and other journalists and media in Croatia,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative, in Berlin. “Such hostile language from a top government official can have a chilling effect on press freedom and may put the safety of journalists at risk. We call on Croatian authorities to publicly denounce these attacks and reaffirm their commitment to protecting journalists.”

Šipić alleged journalists were “semi-literate” and “paid journalists” in a Facebook post following critical reporting on his ministry appointing four advisers with high salaries, a topic Tomić also covered in his column. 

He singled out Tomić, a columnist with the Jutarnji list daily newspaper, in response to Tomić’s editorial criticism of the minister. Šipić called Tomić a “communist militant” and a “bucket journalist,” referencing a 2014 attack in which an assailant poured a bucket of feces over Tomić while he was seated at a café.

CPJ emailed the press department of the Minister of Demography and Immigration for comment but received no reply.