THE worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War was solemnly remembered with an event at Worcester’s Guildhall on Saturday.
Remembering Srebrenica commemorated the anniversary of the killing in July 1995 of more than 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks, mainly men and boys, in and around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War.
The event featured an exhibition about the massacre, music performances and readings of poems.
Earlier this year, Mayor Jabba Riaz visited Srebrenica as part of a delegation, which included community workers from Worcester.
At Saturday’s event, Cllr Riaz spoke of the need to resist the “rhetoric of hatred” which acts as a fuel for such atrocities in accordance with the theme for his mayoral year ‘Love not Hate.’
He said “Genocide is the antithesis of courage” and said it arose when people could “no longer see the humanity in those who used to be their friends and neighbours.”
He also spoke of “other stories” such as a village where the Serbs and Muslims stood by each other and refused to go to war.
Remembering Srebrenica is dedicated to a vision of a society free from hatred, and works to achieve this goal by organising commemoration events, taking people on educational visits to learn lessons from survivors of the genocide and creating community champions who pledge to stand up to hatred and intolerance in their communities.
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