Remembering Srebrenica
In July 1995, the Srebrenica genocide took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina. More than 8,000 people – mostly Muslim men and boys – were killed by Bosnian Serb nationalist forces. The United Nations had called this worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.
11 July is recognised across Europe as the day of commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide. This date, or a date within 'Srebrenica Memorial Week', has been commemorated in Thurrock since 2018. We remember the victims of this horrific genocide and raise awareness of the need to nurture peace and to promote human rights and interreligious tolerance.
Our commitment
We have committed to recognise Srebrenica memorial events in July each year, bringing communities from different beliefs and backgrounds together in Thurrock to remember the victims and survivors. We will do this by:
- promoting events organised by the London and South East board of the of Remembering Srebrenica foundation, and by community champions and interfaith networks in Thurrock
- encouraging councillors to attend or support local, regional and national memorial events
- holding a minute's silence across Thurrock Council offices at 11am on the day of the regional memorial event in Thurrock to mark the anniversary of the genocide
- raising a Remembering Srebrenica flag to mark the anniversary of the genocide
We applaud the work of those pursuing justice for the victims and their surviving relatives, including the Mothers of Srebrenica and representatives of victims' associations who have bravely shared their stories. Their courage and humility in the face of unthinkable horror is an inspiration to us all.
We commend the work of the London and South East board of Remembering Srebrenica in helping us:
- learn lessons from the Bosnian genocide
- oppose and tackle all forms of prejudice, hatred, racism, nationalism and religious intolerance
- strengthen our own communities
- build a better, safer and more cohesive society
We encourage educational visits to Bosnia via the Remembering Srebrenica: Lessons from Srebrenica education programme. We do this:
- as an act of solidarity with the victims
- to learn that human dignity must prevail
We also support:
- the work of the London and South East board, where possible, in taking lessons from Srebrenica into schools and education providers in Thurrock
- the continuous fight for justice for victims and survivors of all crimes committed during the aggression on Bosnia, acknowledging that nearly 10,000 people remain missing in Bosnia today