At a rally that the Republika Srpska authorities declared a 'day of remembrance for killed and expelled Serbs,' Serbian and Bosnian Serb officials leveled a series of serious accusations against Croatia, while Patriarch Porfirije called for peace and good neighborly relations.
In Mrkonjić Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a rally was held on Tuesday that the Republika Srpska authorities named a "day of remembrance for killed and expelled Serbs" and declared August 4 a day of mourning in that entity. The main speaker was Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, and the rally was attended by the highest officials of Serbia and Republika Srpska, including the leader of the ruling party in RS, Milorad Dodik, and the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije.
Despite organized transportation and calls for a mass turnout, the attendance in Mrkonjić Grad was relatively small. Nevertheless, the messages delivered from the podium were full of accusations against Croatia and its military-police operation "Storm" from August 1995, which liberated the occupied part of Croatian territory. The Hague Tribunal has definitively acquitted the Croatian generals, but this fact is completely ignored in the narrative presented in Mrkonjić Grad.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić described "Storm" as a crime that Serbs must not forget. "There will never again be storms and pogroms against the Serbian people, no matter who is on the other side," Vučić said, as reported by Index.hr. He also emphasized that all Serbs will be united, not allowing themselves to be divided by state borders, and promised that Republika Srpska will never be left in the lurch.
Vučić repeated his theories about conspiracies against Serbia and Serbs, assessing that Serbia was weak in 1995. "Croatia lies every day and deceives the whole world," the Serbian president said, adding that Croatia, although he is a "descendant of victims," banned him from visiting Jasenovac. He claimed that no Croats died in Jasenovac, "except for some exceptions."
Speaking, as he said, for the last time as President of Serbia "without knowing if he will ever be again," Vučić expressed "hope that he will not have to use the army for defensive purposes," alluding to those who, in his words, are waiting for the "second half."
The leader of the ruling party in Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, went a step further in his accusations. "Shame on the Croats," Dodik said, asserting that Croatia's goal was to "finish the job of the Ustasha NDH." He described "Storm" as a continuation of the crimes committed during the period of the Independent State of Croatia.
Dodik accused Croatia of "aggression against RS," the USA of participating in "genocide and ethnic cleansing," and the Montenegrin authorities of betraying Serbs. He concluded that it is crucial for Serbia to be strong, as that is the only way to defeat Croats and Bosniaks, and stated that no one will stop the integration of Serbia and RS.
The religious ceremony at the rally was led by SPC Patriarch Porfirije, who called "Storm" a "terrible persecution without precedent in the 20th century." However, in his sermon, he called on Orthodox believers to strengthen unity but also to foster "peace and good neighborly relations with those with whom they share the same living space," adding a tone that differed from the harsh political speeches.
The rally in Mrkonjić Grad is yet another in a series of events through which officials from Serbia and Republika Srpska seek to impose a narrative of "Storm" as a crime, which is rejected in Croatia. Operation "Storm" from August 1995 liberated the occupied Croatian state territory, and the Croatian generals were acquitted before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
