Sarajevo public was shocked Tuesday evening when the Jewish Community published a photo of a swastika drawn on an obituary of Zelimir Altarac Cicak (74), a Sarajevo rock legend of Jewish descent who died from Covid-19 last week, which was swiftly condemned as antisemitic by some of the highest state officials, calling for an immediate police investigation.

Bosnian Croat Presidency member said that “antisemitism and fascism must not be allowed to gain an inch of space,” adding that he expects the police to find the perpetrator of this shameful act as quickly as possible.

Our Party as well as the Alliance of Anti-Fascists and Fighters of the National Liberation War (SABNOR) – the WW2 association of veterans and their supporters, also expressed condemnation of the shameful act.

“The swastika on Zelimir Altarac Cicak’s obituary is a threat to the Jewish community but also to all of us,” the party said, adding that the swastika on the obituary of a man who gave an undeniable contribution to the identity of Sarajevo and the regional cultural scene is a swastika on everybody’s home.

“The reactions of Sarajevans are comforting, though, showing that this is an isolated incident. However, only a swift legal action against that individual that these acts remain isolated and rare,” Our Party said.

They too urged the local police to immediately investigate and bring to justice the perpetrator(s) of this act of vandalism.

The SABNOR BiH said that “such cases are an attack on the civilization values of BiH, its cultural substance and historical heritage.”

Bosniak Presidency member Sefik Dzaferovic said “it is a disturbing hate speech and advocacy of evil which has no place in our society. I offer full support to the Jewish Community in BiH and urge all competent police bodies to bring the culprits to justice as soon as possible.

Deputy Chairman of BiH House of Representatives Denis Zvizdic also condemned the barbaric act saying:

“The creator(s) of this senseless act, contrary to the libertarian, multiethnic and anti-fascist spirit of Sarajevo, must be found and adequately sanctioned. BiH was and will remain, a unique space of centuries of civilization, and a paradigm of a multiethnic society, respect for the other and different, human solidarity of anti-fascist values.”

The Jewish community in Sarajevo announced and strongly condemned the barbaric act of drawing a swastika on the obituary of the recently deceased member of the Sarajevo Jewish Community and the honorary citizen of the Sarajevo Zelimir Altarac Cicak.

Altarac (74), a legend of the Sarajevo music scene, was buried in the city cemetery of Bare. He died on March 26th in Sarajevo as a result of a Covid-19 infection.