Videos showing a controversial celebration of Christmas Eve in a few eastern Bosnian towns, with groups of people singing nationalist songs as they marched the streets, have become viral on social networks and sparked strong reactions among Bosniak returnees in that area.
The first video appeared in Srebrenica, showing several cars passing through the Potocari genocide memorial and going further to Bratunac.
The former head of Srebrenica Municipality, Camil Durakovic, tweeted that he could not stay silent anymore to what is happening.
“They say Camil is raising tensions with no reason, that these are ethnic songs and a religious holiday. I really believed that our last-year reaction would make an effect on those who turned this religious holiday and day of birth of Jesus into a fascist orgy accompanied with Chetnik songs,” said Durakovic, a Bosniak living in Srebrenica.
Za razliku od prošlog 6. januara evo šutio sam do sad. Vele dižem tenzije. Mislio sam da će naša reakcija prošle godine uticati na one koji su vjerski praznik rođenja Isusovog pretvorili u fašističko orgijanje uz četničke pjesme. Ali eto ne mogu kad čujem ovu "Čiča Draža" pic.twitter.com/rhtwwJhpAp
— Ćamil Duraković (@Camil_Durakovic) January 6, 2020
Head of Memorial Centre Potocari Emir Suljagic stressed that events like this one is why it is important to preserve the memorial in such environment.
“What you see on this short clip are our Orthodox neighbors celebrating Christmas by driving literally through SrebrenicaMC (memorial centre), playing loud nationalist music. We work in an openly hostile environment,” Suljagic tweeted.
What you see on this short clip are our Orthodox neigbors celebrating Christmas by driving literally through @SrebrenicaMC, playing loud nationalist music. We work in an openly hostile environment. All the while the international community continues to engage local authorities. pic.twitter.com/87McUlEIY4
— Emir Suljagić (@suljagicemir1) January 6, 2020
Another video was recorded in the eastern town Visegrad, where members of Chetnik movement marched the city playing nationalist songs and carrying yule-log along with occasional gunshots.
