Croatian diplomat suspended over Facebook post about ‘white Europeans’

Elizabeta Madjarevic will face disciplinary proceedings in Croatia

Croatia's Adriatic coast (Getty)

A senior Croatian diplomat has been suspended and recalled to the country from Berlin for Facebook posts which have been described as “racist, xenophobic and homophobic”.

Alongside images of sandy beaches on the Adriatic coast, Elizabeta Madjarevic wrote in English: “Pure and authentic Europe. Just white Europeans as it used to be only 30 years ago in the whole [of] Europe. One would think this is no longer possible but luckily it is.”

The first secretary of Croatia’s embassy in Berlin had previously posted comments about LGBT+ news stories, including one from a right-wing Christian group which described how a drag queen had “discovered” Jesus and was “saved”.

In response she wrote: “It is possible to heal and get rid of all this immorality and psychological disorders.”

She had also reportedly written about an “Islamisation agenda” in Europe and accused Germany of a “lack of culture” after Angela Merkel said Islam was an integral part of modern Germany, according to Croatian news website Index.hr.

The news site claimed she had been “spreading racist, xenophobic and homophobic views”.

Her Facebook account has since been deleted and Ms Madjarevic reportedly has claimed her profile was hacked.

Croatia’s foreign minister Gordan Grlic said Ms Madjarevic had been recalled from Germany and will face a disciplinary court.

He said that his country, which joined the European Union in 2013 and takes over the bloc’s rotating presidency next year, shared "European values", adding “racism, any form of xenophobia and intolerance, does not belong in the foreign affairs service”.

Other top Croatian officials have also condemned Ms Madjarevic’s comments.