VUKOVAR, Croatia (AP) — Thousands of nationalists have rallied in Croatia alleging that the government is not doing enough to punish Serb war criminals from the war in the 1990s.

The protest Saturday in the eastern town of Vukovar reflects a recent rise in right-wing sentiments in Croatia, which joined the European Union in 2013.

Vukovar was demolished in attacks by the Serb-led Yugoslav army during the 1991-1995 war in Croatia that killed at least 10,000 people. The conflict erupted after Croatia declared independence from the former Yugoslavia, triggering a rebellion by minority Serbs.

The protesters in Vukovar say people who committed war crimes are still walking around freely. Vukovar Mayor Ivan Penava says "we have failed as a state."

Croatian media say conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic faces pressure from right-wing hardliners in his ruling Croatian Democratic Union party.