Thousands of anti-fascists at Igman March anniversary: 'This should never be forgotten'

(Patria) - The Igman mountain today became the epicenter of anti-fascist Europe.

On the occasion of the 84th anniversary of the Igman March, one of the most significant operations of the National Liberation Struggle in World War II, thousands of participants and delegations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region, and other European countries arrived on the mountain today.

Flags of former Yugoslavia were waving.



50 anti-fascists arrived from Kakanj, including Hajrudin Balešić.

- This is a big thing. Many people don't acknowledge it, but this should never be forgotten. It should be passed on to the younger generation, we are already old, let them continue, let it never be forgotten. Because this is very valuable for our entire country - said Balešić.



He points out that there are always many young people, mostly from Krajina, then from the region - Slovenia and Montenegro.

- I am glad, I have many friends from Montenegro, to come and socialize with them, have coffee, sit - says Balešić.

Milka from Montenegro says that for her, this day represents a memory of a time that, from today's perspective, we cannot fully comprehend.

- What kind of humanity, courage, patriotism was that... Does that still exist in people? Does a person exist who can accomplish something like that? To endure in accordance with their goals, which, thank God, were achieved after so much suffering - stated Milka.



Ivan Petrinić arrived from Slovenia with members of his association.

- We came at the invitation of SUBNOR Sarajevo. We must talk about this tradition and preserve it. Because if we don't show who the partisans were, they will erase us as if we never existed - said Petrinić, adding that Nazism and fascism are on the rise and that it is necessary to show that what they did is not forgotten.

Let us remind you, the Igman March was carried out on the night between January 27 and 28, 1942, in deep snow and extreme cold of -38 degrees Celsius, and 800 members of the First Proletarian Brigade walked for 17 hours.



Members of the First Proletarian Brigade were surrounded by strong German forces on Romanija. The brigade's headquarters made the decision to carry out a dangerous but only possible maneuver.

The participants of the march passed by Sarajevo and broke through towards Foča, then a free territory, via Igman.

It was one of the most important partisan campaigns in the former Yugoslavia during World War II, and anniversaries of this event have been traditionally marked for decades with the message that anti-fascism has not been eradicated.