Remembering Srebrenica – Rebuilding Lives

Council leaders are backing the Rebuilding Lives campaign on the 26^thanniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica.

Around 8,000 Bosnians, predominantly Muslim men and boys, were murdered at this time in 1995 in what was the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.

This year’s commemoration encourages every person to reflect on the choices they make and show that individual actions can make a real difference.

Councillor Richard Gold, cabinet member for communities, said: “We must ensure that we never forget about the genocide at Srebrenica and reaffirm our commitment to standing up against all forms of hatred and prejudice.”

Cllr Gold praised the actions of Sarfraz M. Malik, aka ‘The Cheetham Poet’ who, every year, walks 62 miles in Heaton Park – the distance that thousands of residents of Srebrenica walked to flee to a safe haven in Tuzla.

“Sarfraz has also read at Holocaust Memorial Day and read a poem when we’ve raised the flag against hate crime, and this is a marvellous act of remembering the atrocity in times when traditional remembrance is not always possible,” he said.

ENDS

Press release issued: 9 July 2021.

Image: The Statement of Commemoration.