“1000 days of resistance against the siege of Sarajevo”

In January 1995, the siege of Sarajevo lasted for 1.000 days. At this occasion, the city of Sarajevo decided to organize the event “1000 days of resistance against the  siege of Sarajevo” and invited international friends to participate. More than 100 public figures followed the invitation, among them the mayors of Barcelona, Izmir, Rimini, Wrocław and Zagreb. Sarajevo’s mayor Tarik Kupusovic told them: “Your supportive voice has given us hope that the city will not become an island of pain, and who knows how many times we have been able to reassure ourselves of the help and solidarity of our friends.” Among the guests who had travelled to Sarajevo was also Jose Maria Mendeluce, the vice-president of the European Parliament, who declared: “People in Sarajevo and Bosnia have heard many speeches, many resolutions have been passed, but very little has been done to stop the aggression. These days marks the 50th anniversary of Auschwitz. After this, people said “Never again”. We had the opportunity to check it out in BiH. People seem to have forgotten that history can repeat itself if the necessary steps are not taken to stop the aggression. Hitler was not stopped by speeches, declarations, but by force. Now is the time for the international community, and it was time 1000 days ago, to understand this and to do everything to stop the war.”

In parallel to the activities in Sarajevo, at other places public manifestations of support and protest were also organized, for example in Belgrade, by Women in Black and other anti war-groups. They organized for example on 28 January 1995 a gathering on Republic Square in Belgrade ; a leaflet edited at this occasion stated:

“Belgraders! Do you know that more grenades fell on Sarajevo in the past 3 years than on the territory of Yugoslavia in the Second World War? (…) Belgraders, ask yourselves if you have done enough to stop this horror? Belgraders, it is also our future which is defended in Sarajevo! Sarajevans, you are not alone! Sarajevo, a symbol of resistance to war, crime and hatred (…) Sarajevo, our collective sin. Today is the 1000th day of suffering for Sarajevo, the largest concentration camp in the world.

I love Sarajevo.”