Pledging to remember victims and survivors on Srebrenica Memorial Day

As Srebrenica Memorial Day approaches, the Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen and the Council Leader are pledging to learn from the lessons of history to help build safe and tolerant communities.

Srebrenica Memorial Day, which falls on 11 July each year, marks the 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 theme of this year’s Srebrenica Memorial Day is Rebuilding Lives, which aims to honour the two million people who were displaced during the genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia in the 1990s.

These survivors fled their homes to seek refuge all over the world, with approximately 10,000 Bosnians coming to the UK.

The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Coun Derek Hardman, has pledged to remember and honour the victims of the Srebrenica genocide and the survivors who have had to rebuild their lives.

Coun Hardman said:

Remembering and reflecting on shocking events such as this is an opportunity for us all to commit to working together for greater understanding and tolerance.

This generation of Bosnian Muslims has faced pain and suffering on a level that is very hard for others in civilised societies to comprehend.

The best tribute we can pay to the victims of the Bosnian genocide, and to show our solidarity with the survivors, is to ensure we learn lessons from the atrocity and make a pledge to reject hatred and racism in all its ugly forms.

The Mayor will also represent Blackburn with Darwen at a national Srebrenica Memorial Day commemoration online on Thursday 8 July. Anyone who wishes to join can find out more at bit.ly/364GWsK.

Coun Mohammed Khan CBE, Leader of the Council, added:

Blackburn with Darwen is a place where diversity is valued and celebrated, where people from different backgrounds, nationalities, cultures, faiths, ages and gender come together and support one another – and that makes our community stronger.

We are fortunate that what happened in Srebrenica 26 years ago is unthinkable here, and yet we must continue to tackle hatred and prejudice wherever we see it.

The Bosnian genocide is one example of what can happen when hatred and intolerance go unchallenged.

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

Prayers will be said in our regular acts of worship to remember those who have been killed or bereaved in the Bosnian genocide, and for the courage to work together for a better future.  The Cathedral is open for anyone who wishes to light a candle as a sign of hope.

Due to the ongoing Covid restrictions, there will be no public event to mark Srebrenica Memorial Day this year.

Community groups and schools can find out more about ways to mark Srebrenica Memorial day at www.srebrenica.org.uk/our-events.