Novalja Mayor disputes history of Metajna concentration camp

Ivan Dabo, the Mayor of Novalja and an HDZ member of parliament, has sparked controversy regarding the history of the Metajna camp on Pag Island. During a City Council session, Dabo claimed that Jewish prisoners in Metajna were “buying, trading, drinking (singing), and working,” asserting there is no proven evidence that anyone was killed at that specific location.

Metajna served as a sub-camp for women and children within the Ustaše concentration camp system during the summer of 1941. While the nearby Slana camp held primarily men, Metajna housed Jewish and Serbian women and children in villas and a farmhouse. Historical research and survivor testimonies, including accounts from Nada Feuereisen, document severe violence, including sexual assault, beatings, and killings, within the Pag camp system.

The dispute centers on the placement of memorial plaques. A plaque at Slana was recently installed with the participation of the Serbian National Council and Jewish community representatives, though local residents have previously destroyed such memorials to avoid negative publicity for tourism. Dabo stated he opposed placing a similar plaque at the school in Metajna due to his interpretation of the site's history.