UGLIES: Helen Coonan Sups With Devil

The Jewish News' Jason Frenkel has exposed senior Liberals including Howard Government Cabinet Ministers attending a celebration of the formation of the neo Nazi Ustashe regime in Croatia.

It is disturbing enough that some in the Croatian community feel inclined to praise the darkest moments of their history.

Even more so that Senator Helen Coonan, Federal Minister for Communications, senior Liberal state backbencher David Clarke and Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells also attended.

SARGEANT SCHULTZ DEFENCE
Everyone seemed to be offering the "Oh, we didn't know they were Nazis" defence. Except at least one invitee is lying about his knowledge. For just two years ago, Clarke was asked about the same annual function and said he didn't know who they were.

Either very forgetful or Clarke is acting in such an Ugly way to bolster his numbers and he's not greatly fussy about the political baggage of his new recruits, happy to seek out Islamists, genocidal Croatians or whatever.

The term "right-wing numbers-man" is a badge of honour. But if David Clarke and his brethren are playing footsie with neo-Nazis they don't deserve anything but dishonour.

The Jewish News reminds us:

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (NSWJBD) CEO Vic Alhadeff described the celebration as “offensive” to Australians, while it is understood Croatian embassy officials are also angered at the involvement of a senior government minister.

Alhadeff this week voiced his concern to Senator Coonan’s office on behalf of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and the NSWJBD.

“The function celebrated Hitler’s establishment of the Nazi state of Croatia,” Alhadeff claimed.

“This is the state that supported the Jasenovac extermination camp, where hundreds of thousands of people were murdered, including 60,000 Jews,” Alhadeff said.

“It is very troubling that such a brutal regime still finds support in democratic Australia.”

The Ustase regime proclaimed the Independent State of Croatia in early April 1941, after coming to power following the invasion of Axis forces.

It began building concentration camps almost immediately and implemented racial laws targeting Serbs, Jews and gypsies.

Estimates on the number of people killed at the Jasenovac concentration camp vary, but the Simon Weisenthal Centre says Ustase killed approximately half-a-million Serbs before its defeat and expulsion in 1945.

The orginal Ugly faction founder Lyenko Urbancic is dead but it's very sad indeed to see his work continue through people who should and do know much better.

Game on.