Srebrenica genocide 25th anniversary to be marked online

Victims of the Srebrenica genocide will be remembered at a special commemoration event held online on Wednesday 8 July.

Everyone is welcome to join the interfaith event that marks the 25^th anniversary of the massacre that saw more than 8,000 Muslim Bosnians killed during the Bosnian War.

The Srebrenica genocide of July 1995 is the only holocaust committed in Europe since World War Two. Thousands of Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered and buried in mass graves, targeted because of their religion. The United Nations referred to what happened in Srebrenica as ‘the greatest atrocity on European soil since the Second World War’.

This year’s online memorial ceremony will be attended by the Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen Councillor Iftakhar Hussain, the Leader of the Council Councillor Mohammed Khan, and Chief Executive Denise Park.

The Mayor will lead the making of pledges to ensure that the victims are not forgotten and that lessons are learned from the atrocity.

The Revd Dr Rowena Pailing from Blackburn Cathedral will also attend to lead an interfaith prayer in memory of the 8,000 victims.

A group of former Witton Park Academy students and staff will share their reflections on a visit to Bosnia in 2015, which marked the 20^th anniversary of the genocide. Their video contributions to the commemoration will be played during the event.

Witton Park Academy’s Steve Archer will also take part, and members of community arts group Arts2Heal will also talk about the artworks they’re creating this week to help raise awareness of the genocide.

Councillor Mohammed Khan, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said:

While our community can’t gather together physically to pay respects to the victims of the atrocity on its 25^th anniversary, this important online event on Wednesday 8 July is open to anyone. It’s an opportunity to learn more about this terrible tragedy to helps us understand what can happen when hatred and intolerance go unchallenged.

By learning from the lessons of the past, we can all play a part in creating a safer, more tolerant future for everyone.

The Revd Dr Rowena Pailing, Blackburn Cathedral’s Canon Missioner, said:

This year is especially significant as the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, and we encourage anyone who wishes to attend online.  Great strides have been made over the last twenty five years in rebuilding that specific community and also in raising awareness of the importance of openness and tolerance in every society, including our own.

Anyone who would like to attend the online Srebrenica memorial event via Zoom on Wednesday 8 July can email integration@blackburn.gov.uk.

During the week leading up to Srebrenica Memorial Day on 11 July, Arts2Heal will be running community arts sessions for their members, based around the 11 petals of the Remembering Srebrenica white flower. Artists will place small flowers made from biodegradable clay in local parks and neighbourhoods. With the website address www.srebrenica.org.uk on the reverse of the flowers, anyone who finds the flowers has the opportunity to learn more about this genocide in July 1995.