As the British Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I have seen many groups come to learn about the genocide through the ‘Remembering Srebrenica’ initiative. Individuals tend to respond very differently to the experience. Some can scarcely believe the inhumanity. Others are upset, angry, confused. But all take back a key message.
The genocide in Srebrenica was not inevitable. It was the product of the systematic and deliberate breeding of hate and mistrust by politicians who stood to gain from it. If it could happen here, in a European country where people of different faiths have lived together for centuries, it could happen anywhere. That is why we must pay attention. And why we must all take responsibility, by challenging those who promote difference and division, and by working for peace and harmony within our own communities.
