Eighteen years after the war of independence ended, tensions can still explode in the once devastated town of Vukovar.
Anger has risen among hundreds of war veterans, who have torn down signs written in Serbian Cyrillic alphabet.
Some Croatians see Cyrillic as a painful remainder of their suffering at the hands of the Serbian dominated Yugoslav army and Serbian militias.
"Everything we did during the war would have been in vain, and we defended Vukovar," says protest organiser Marjan Zivkovic.
"Everything would have been pointless if we hadn't done this today."
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The Croatian minister who introduced bilingualism calls the protests 'politically motivated.'
But he notes the council can limit the laws in areas with fewer Serbs.
Serbian MPs, meanwhile, are urging authorities to counter the protests.
