Croatian Pop Star Severina Waves Palestinian Flag at Concert | WATCH
The pop diva’s flag-waving moment has turned an already sold-out tour into a regional flashpoint, as Severina once again finds herself at the crossroads of culture and controversy.
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Croatian pop icon Severina, renowned for her role in modernizing Balkan music and representing Croatia at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, stirred controversy by waving a Palestinian flag during a performance in Slovenia.
Severina has long been a cultural force in the Balkans. With a career spanning over three decades, she rose to fame with hits like “Dalmatinka” and “Djevojka sa sela,” blending pop with Dalmatian folk influences. Her 2006 Eurovision entry, “Moja Štikla,” finished 12th in Athens, earning praise for its fusion of traditional Croatian elements with modern pop, despite debates over its musical influences. Named the “Queen of Croatian music” by Nacional in 2006, Severina has sold millions of records, including her best-selling album *Ja samo pjevam* (1999), and was the most googled person in Croatia and Slovenia in 2015.
During her recent performance, Severina raised the Palestinian flag, a move some fans celebrated as a bold stand against oppression. Posts on X praised her solidarity, with one user calling it “a powerful rebuke to Zionist oppression” and another lauding her for having “the soul to speak out against Israeli genocide in Palestine.” However, the act drew sharp criticism from others, including accusations of supporting a “non-existent Nazi terrorist state” and aligning with movements that “deny Israel’s right to exist.” One X post mocked her for holding the flag upside down, noting that Croatia has not recognized Palestine as an independent state.
This is not Severina’s first foray into political expression. In 2025, she joined a Slovenian NGO campaign to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement, and her comments on the Srebrenica genocide led to her being denied entry into Serbia in August 2024 at the Bajakovo border crossing, where she faced questioning over her political views. Her New Year’s concert in Sarajevo on January 1, 2025, also sparked backlash when she spoke of uniting “Yugoslavia,” prompting criticism from Croatian nationalists.
Severina’s activism reflects her history of engaging with social issues, from children’s rights to female empowerment, though it has often been polarizing. Her 2004 scandal and public disputes, like her 2004 lawsuit against Index.hr, have kept her in the media spotlight, cementing her status as Croatia’s “only bona fide celebrity.”
The singer has not publicly commented on the Slovenia performance, but we are sadly getting used to seeing both influencers are celebrities taking sides in a conflict they know little about.