Published Monday 4 July 2022 at 8:00
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 to keep the borough one where difference and diversity is celebrated.
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.
These survivors fled their homes to seek refuge all over the world, with approximately 10,000 Bosnians coming to the UK.
The theme of this year’s Srebrenica ‘Combatting Denial: Challenging Hatred’. This year’s twin-aimed theme seeks to shine a light on the importance of combatting denial and the need to confront the hatred behind the denial. It is hoped that this year’s theme will encourage people to recognise the important role that they can play in combating denial to help build safer, stronger communities.
The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Suleman Khonat, along with the Leader of the Council, Councillor Phil Riley, have pledged to remember and honour the victims of the Srebrenica genocide and the survivors who have had to rebuild their lives.
Councillor Suleman Khonat said:
“This week will mark 27 years since the horrific genocide in Srebrenica where over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim people were murdered because of hate. We remember the innocent lives taken and join Remembering Srebrenica in commemorating these atrocities.
Blackburn with Darwen has always been an inclusive borough where diversity is celebrated. Let’s keep it that way”.
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.
Councillor Phil Riley, Leader of the Council, added:
“Our borough is a welcoming 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.
What happened in Srebrenica 27 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”.
Community groups and schools can find out more about ways to mark Srebrenica Memorial day at www.srebrenica.org.uk/our-events