Remembering Srebrenica on the 30th Anniversary of the Genocide
Today (Friday 11 July) marks the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, which saw 8,372 Bosnian Muslim men and boys systematically murdered in what the UN has described as the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II.
The wider Bosnian War saw more than 100,000 killed, thousands of women raped, and more than two million people forced from their homes between 1992 and 1995.
To remember the innocent lives that were taken, 11 July is recognised around the world as Srebrenica Memorial Day.
In 2018 Wirral Council pledged to mark the anniversary each year and to support efforts to tackle hatred and intolerance to help build a better, safer and more cohesive society for everyone.
This year, the Mayor of Wirral has joined community and civic leaders at a number of events in the borough.
A special concert – Wirral 4 Peace - was held at Christ Church in Prenton on 2 July to raise awareness of what happened at Srebrenica, build bridges of unity, share empathy, and spread messages of hope through words, poetry and song.
The Mayor and Mayoress also attended the Community Get-Together event at Wirral Deen Centre in Birkenhead on 4 July where they learned more about the atrocity and met with dozens of members and volunteers.
The Mayor of Wirral, Councillor Brian Kenny, said:
It is so important that people know what happened in Bosnia 30 years ago and do whatever is in their power to prevent the attitudes that led to the genocide from ever building up and resulting in such obscene events ever again.
I would encourage everyone to take a moment today to remember those lost and to learn a little about what happened.
The tower at Wallasey town hall will be illuminated green this evening along with many other buildings across the UK and beyond, to remember all those killed and affected by the terrible events 30 years ago.
To learn more about the Bosnian genocide visit the Remembering Srebrenica website.
