White Armband Day also marked in Sarajevo

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - White Armband Day, May 31, will also be marked in Sarajevo this year at the Eiffel Bridge in Skenderija starting at 12 PM. Under the slogan “For equality and the right of all victims to remembrance“, activists intend to pay tribute to the victims of Prijedor and show solidarity with the struggle of the people of Prijedor and all other victims who have been fighting for the right to remembrance for years, through a symbolic program.

White Armband Day has been observed since 2012 in memory of May 31, 1992, when the Crisis Staff of the Municipality of Prijedor forced the non-Serb population of Prijedor to mark their houses and apartments with white flags, while those moving through the city were forced to wear a white armband.

The peace gathering in Sarajevo is being organized simultaneously with the gathering of parents and relatives of murdered children in Prijedor, who will gather again this year to demand the right to build a monument for their murdered children from the local authorities in Prijedor, and seven potential locations have been offered to the city authorities.

The activity in Sarajevo and Prijedor is jointly organized by citizens gathered in the Initiative “Because it concerns me” with the aim of supporting the parents of murdered children in Prijedor, but also as an expression of solidarity with all victims facing various obstructions and denial of the right to remembrance in all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.

“Under the slogan 'For equality and the right of all victims to remembrance', we want to express our continuous solidarity with the victims and activists from Prijedor who have been persistently and with dignity insisting on their right to remembrance for years. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, we are not able to join them in a peaceful walk through Prijedor this year either, but by organizing a gathering in Sarajevo, we are once again sending them a message of encouragement to persevere in their intention. At the same time, we do not forget all other victims who are facing various obstructions and are denied the right to remembrance, we raise our voice against the denial of war crimes and point out the importance of building a culture of remembrance that would lead to building peace as a better and more just society for all,” stated the Jer me se tiče initiative.

On May 31, 2020, a temporary memorial for the murdered children in Prijedor, created based on the idea of artist Elma Selman, will be placed on the Eiffel Bridge in Sarajevo. White Armband Day can be observed by all citizens by wearing a white armband and placing a white cloth on their window or balcony. White Armband Day is an invitation to citizens to recognize the discrimination of victims in their local community and to demand equal treatment for everyone from local authorities, regardless of ethnic identity.

The organizers of the gatherings in Sarajevo and Prijedor disclaim responsibility in advance for those who use the symbol of white armbands to promote political or nationalist messages and incite hatred.