Offensive banner referencing 'Operation Storm' removed in Šid, Serbia

A large banner displaying a hateful message was found on a private property near the Šid-Tovarnik border crossing in Serbia. The banner, several meters long, bore the inscription: "We have faith, Oluja will blow in the opposite direction." This message directly references "Operation Storm" (Oluja), the 1995 Croatian military offensive that led to the expulsion of over 200,000 Serbs from Croatia.

Residents of Šid, a town with a Croatian minority population, provided footage of the banner to the media. They stated that the provocative and inciting nature of the message disturbed them, leading them to remove the banner themselves. The incident occurred the day after the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm was commemorated.

On the anniversary itself, photos emerged of a group of young men calling themselves "Vojvode" (Dukes or Warlords) posing with similar banners at multiple border crossings into Croatia, including Batrovci, Šid, Bačka Palanka, and Erdut. The display of such messages near a border crossing frequented by Croatian citizens, and shortly after the anniversary of a deeply divisive historical event, has been widely condemned as inflammatory and unacceptable.