Thursday, July 08, 2021

A tribute to an iconic act of defiance from the Croatian War of Independence involving a small car that Branko Breskic defiantly parked in the path of the tanks


On June 27, 1991, T-55 tanks from the Yugoslav People’s Army rolled through Osijek, a city that would later suffer heavy damage from the war, in a forceful demonstration of power.
 
A resident of the city decided to protest the incoming forces. He parked his red Fiat (also called a Fićo) on the street in front of the approaching tanks, blocking the road as an act of defiance. The man calmly exited the Fiat seconds before the tank leading the horde of military vehicles rammed into the car and dragged it along the street before crushing it.


The event was captured on film and was shown on the news. It was interpreted as a symbol of aggression from the Yugoslav Army and came to symbolize the resolution of the Croatian people.On the day of the event, 20 years later, a monument was unveiled to commemorate the act. A red Fiat can be seen climbing a T-55 tank, symbolizing resistance, and in the end, victory, in the war for independence.

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