British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg commits to a Britain free from threats or harm on Srebrenica Memorial Day, 11 July
Today, 11 July, the international community remembers the Bosnian genocide, marking the 19th anniversary of when generations of families were wiped out. The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is one of many politicians Four Mothers of Srebrenica have held meetings with to mark Remembering Srebrenica Memorial Week.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg stated, ‘This Government is committed to ensuring that everyone in Britain – whatever their background, race or religion – can live free from threat or harm. We will continue to support the Remembering Srebrenica project and its important work in raising awareness to ensure that the horrors that took place 19 years ago are never forgotten and never repeated.
“I am, as ever, humbled by the bravery of the Mothers of Srebrenica and their dedication in making sure those responsible for one of the worst atrocities committed in Europe in living memory are brought to justice. We can never truly understand the pain and suffering they have endured but we can honour the memory of the thousands killed at Srebrenica by teaching this generation, and those to come, that discrimination, prejudice and racial hatred have no place in our world’.
The UK is currently the only country within the EU to commemorate Srebrenica Memorial Day, today, 11 July, through the charity Remembering Srebrenica. The charity is asking the UK Government to commit to teaching the Srebrenica genocide in all British schools, to ensure future generations learn about the consequences of hate and discrimination.
The four Mothers of Srebrenica, Hatidza Mehmedovi?, Dr Fatima Dautbaši?-Klempi?, Mejra Dzoguz and Nirha Efendi? , who represent approximately 6,000 widows and victims’ relatives who survived the genocide, extended an invitation to Prime Minster David Cameron, Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael, and Secretary of State for Wales David Jones to visit Srebrenica.
The four Mothers of Srebrenica have also asked the UK government to use its global influence to persuade the UN to recognise Srebrenica Memorial Day. Echoing the need for more widespread acknowledgement is the country’s President Bakir Izetbegovi?, who earlier this week was a guest speaker at a Srebrenica Memorial reception at Lancaster House. During his keynote address, he stated: ‘Let us work together to ensure that next year, on the twentieth anniversary, the Srebrenica genocide is remembered in every capital across Europe. Europe must always remember what happened in my country at the end of the twentieth century. The world must learn the lesson of Srebrenica. It must do everything so that the genocide never happens to anyone again’.
More than 100 MPs have made pledges this week at a Srebrenica Memorial Book signing event at the Houses of Parliament.