Seven locations proposed to city authorities for monument to murdered children of Prijedor

PRIJEDOR, (Patria) - Ahead of the marking of May 31, White Ribbon Day, the Foundation for Building a Culture of Remembrance reminded of the events surrounding the installation of a monument to the murdered children of Prijedor, and the consideration of proposed locations for the monument is underway.

In the negotiations so far with representatives of the local authorities, led by representatives of the initiative of parents of murdered children, the initiative Jer me se tiče, the Kvart Youth Center, and the Foundation for Building a Culture of Remembrance, seven locations have been proposed for the future monument to the murdered children of Prijedor. Meetings were held multiple times during 2019 with the leadership of the City Assembly and representatives of party caucuses in the local parliament, as well as with the mayor and other representatives of the executive branch. None of the government representatives at those meetings expressed opposition to the request of the parents of murdered children to erect a monument in the city center. Government representatives also have the opportunity to propose other suitable locations for the monument in the narrower city center. To date, such proposals have not yet been presented to the initiative of the parents of murdered children.

The proposal of locations is currently with the City's Department for Spatial Planning, which is to provide an expert opinion on each of the seven locations. After the location is selected, a public competition for the conceptual design will be announced, and simultaneously, all administrative procedures for the construction of the monument will be carried out.

In Prijedor, White Ribbon Day will be marked tomorrow with a peaceful walk down the main street with a white ribbon around the arm. The gathering of participants in the walk is planned for Sunday, May 31, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. at the beginning of the pedestrian zone in the main street of Prijedor.

"Due to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we will adhere to measures of spacing among participants. The total number of people in the procession cannot exceed 50, and priority will be given to family members of the murdered children. Participants in the gathering should place ribbons on their left arm, and it is not allowed to display other symbols, flags, or banners that have not been previously agreed upon with the organizers. All participants are required to wear masks.

We will lay flowers with the names of 102 children in a circle on the main square, as in previous years. That location is one of the seven proposed for the future monument to the murdered children of Prijedor. Support for the parents of murdered children and the organization of this year's White Ribbon Day is carried out by the initiative Jer me se tiče in cooperation with the Kvart Youth Center and the Foundation for Building a Culture of Remembrance from Prijedor, and Oštra nula from Banja Luka," state from the initiative Jer me se tiče.

The marking of White Ribbon Day is a reminder of May 31, 1992, when the Crisis Staff of the Prijedor municipality forced the non-Serb population to mark their houses and apartments with white flags, and if moving around the city, they had to wear a white ribbon around their arm.