Manchester Cathedral hosts Civic Remembrance Service to Learn the Lessons of the 20th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide

Manchester will commemorate Srebrenica Memorial Day on Monday 6th July, Civic and Community members will support the event being held at the Manchester Cathedral at 2.30pm. This will also be  followed up by a Community event taking place on Wednesday 8 July 2015 at the British Muslim Heritage Centre. These events sits alongside national remembrance activities taking place during the week, the main focus of which will be a special memorial service at Westminster Abbey, in London, on 6 July. There will also be high-profile events in Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Among those attending this event will be the Lord-Lieutenant Warren Smith, Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Paul Murphy OBE , Tony Lloyd Interim Mayor of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Dean Rogers Govender, Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, Chief Inspector for Cohesion Umer Khan, Liz McInnes MP and Trafford Divisional Superintendent James Liggett, Saima Alvi of the British Muslim Heritage Centre and Yousef Dar of the Community Safety Forum.

Manchester’s day of remembrance honours some 8,372 victims, as well as the survivors of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica – a town in eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina. It was the worst such atrocity on European soil since the Second World War. Whilst Srebrenica was the centre piece of Serbian ethnic cleansing, this systematic policy was followed in vast areas of Bosnia to try and eradicate Muslims from the map of what is now called Bosnia.

The event supported by Greater Manchester High Sheriff’s Police Trust and Manchester City Council is designed both as an act of remembrance and a powerful reminder of the threat that intolerance, racism and hatred pose to our own society.

Quotes from those who will be speaking at the Civic Remembrance Event

Dudia Zilic one of the victims of the Bosnia War will say, ‘’When we remember the accounts of women and men who were raped and abused or the thousands of Bosnian Muslims who were rounded up and hunted down and killed in towns and villages like Srebrenica during the Bosnia war over 20 years ago, we must never allow this to happen again. We must all challenge hate from which ever quarter it comes from, stand up to aggression however powerful they may be and support the victims of war if we are to live together in peace and harmony’’.

Elinor Chohan from Remember Srebrenica will say,The Remember Srebrenica events during the week of 6 July 2015 are organised in conjunction with our partners and sponsors including the Greater Manchester High Sheriffs Police Trust, British Muslim Heritage Centre, Community Safety Forum and Manchester Council of Mosques to raise awareness of what took place during the bloody and brutal Bosnia War and in particular the genocide in Srebrenica in order that we learn important lesson for today. We have invited all faith leaders, political figures and victims of the Bosnia War to mark the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide”.

Tony Lloyd said: “We must never forget those who lost their lives during one of the darkest times of modern European history as we pay tribute to the courage of those who survived and campaign that this is never forgotten. I visited Srebrenica in April some 15 years after my first visit when I joined the first Bosnian Muslim refugees who returned home following the genocide. I was moved by how people have overcome the shadow of the atrocities of 20 years ago, to fight, not for vengeance, but for reconciliation – something we can all take inspiration from. But while we remember and raise awareness of what took place as we mark Srebrenica Memorial Day, we must also learn lessons and vow to never allow evil like this to prevail again.”

Brief background on Remembering Srebrenica

Remembering Srebrenica Chairman Dr Waqar Azmi OBE said: “This year is the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica – the single greatest atrocity committed on European soil since the Second World War and a brutal reminder of man’s inhumanity to man.

“We are grateful to our volunteers in Manchester for their hard work. Their event will help to raise awareness of Srebrenica, whilst inspiring local people to tackle hatred, build stronger, more cohesive communities and ensure Srebrenica is never forgotten.”

Remembering Srebrenica raises awareness of the genocide in the UK. It organises the UK Srebrenica Memorial Week, which leads up to the EU-wide day of remembrance for the victims of the genocide, Srebrenica Memorial Day, on 11 July.

It also runs the ‘Lessons from Srebrenica’ educational visit programme to learn from the genocide and people’s lives. On return to the UK, delegates pledge to organise projects in their communities to strengthen community cohesion and create a better society.

For further information and media enquiries, please contact Elinor Chohan

Note for editors:

  • On 11 July 1995 General Ratko Mladić and his Bosnian Serb forces marched into the town of Srebrenica and systematically murdered 8372 Bosnian Muslim men and boys.
  • In 1993, Srebrenica had been declared a UN Safe Area, under the watch of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). In July 1995, Serbian paramilitary units overran and captured the town, despite its designation as an area ‘free from any armed attack or any other hostile act.
  • Remembering Srebrenica is a charitable initiative part-funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
  • Since April 2014, more than 350 leaders and key figures have gone on Lessons from Srebrenica visits to Bosnia. The charity has also developed education packs on the lessons of the Srebrenica genocide for use in secondary schools in the UK.
  • Other events are also taking place during the week of 11 July 2015 including workshops, showing films of the war and talks at various venues in and around Greater Manchester.

For further information on the work of the charity please visit:

Website: https://srebrenica.org.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rememberingsrebrenica

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SrebrenicaUK

Or contact Tony Moran on 0121 454 3343 or email: [email protected]

July 6, 2015 in General News
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