Vucic: They will never forgive us for what they did to us – Neither Jasenovac nor the seizure of Kosovo

The Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Genocidal Crimes Committed by the NDH (Independent State of Croatia) at the Jasenovac concentration camp and its largest execution site in Donja Gradina was marked today in the presence of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik.

In his address, Vucic stated that the mass graves in Jasenovac and other camps are living witnesses to what was done to one people, and that they — the perpetrators — will never forgive the Serbs for it, nor for the attempt to seize Kosovo.

Vucic said that the NDH’s policies imitated Nazi Germany and its ideology, and then its death camps — and, as unbelievable as it may sound, managed to be even more brutal.

"Nowhere else was such bestiality recorded, nowhere else were so many different methods of killing applied, and nowhere else with such sadistic pleasure... Nowhere did humanity come closer to hell than in Jasenovac. This death factory had only one purpose: to kill as many Serbs, Jews, and Roma as possible," the President of Serbia emphasized.

He pointed out that standing in that place always brings up the question of whether Serbs can forgive — because they cannot and will not forget.

"But in reality, it is they who cannot forgive us for what they did to us. Jasenovac, Jadovno, Prebilovci. They will never forgive us for the fact that these mass graves remain living witnesses to their crimes against an entire people. Our question has always been the wrong one — whether we can forgive. No, it is they who cannot forgive us, just as the West will never forgive us for resisting the attempted seizure of Kosovo and Metohija by aggression," Vucic said.

He added that whenever he traveled to Brussels or elsewhere in the world, he hoped they would at least admit they had committed an unlawful act, bypassing the UN Security Council, and that they had destroyed a country — and might therefore make some concessions.

"No, they will never forgive us for the unlawful bombing of Serbia, carried out in violation of UN Security Council decisions. We will continue to suffer the consequences of their bad decisions, which they will never renounce, because the powerful never admit mistakes — but the small ones must bear the consequences," Vucic said.

He added that they also cannot forgive Serbia for beginning to recover economically and strengthen militarily after many years of decline.

"That is why they are forging alliances between Albania and Croatia, two NATO members, with Kosovo, a territory not even recognized by four NATO countries. And they do not hide why this alliance was created — but they do so quietly, pretending nothing is happening," Vucic pointed out.

He emphasized that Serbia is now being targeted so that there would be no one left to stand by the Republic of Srpska or the Serbs in Kosovo.

"But citizen resistance is growing. The time of revolutions and seizing Serbia from its people is over. Serbia will always stand by the Republic of Srpska, and you can always count on Serbia," Vucic declared.

Vucic also noted that Jasenovac was the only camp that was never liberated — stressing that even Auschwitz was entered by the Red Army — and asked who allowed Jasenovac to operate until May 4.

He said he is proud that the fate intended for the Serbian people is being changed year after year.

"Every year we change the destiny others intended for us. By changing ourselves, we secure the future of our people. By opposing those who intended our extinction, we show that we will live," Vucic stressed.

The President noted that the partisans and the Red Army had been in Belgrade for over seven months while the "Srbosjek" (a knife used in Jasenovac for mass killings) continued its work unabated in Jasenovac.

"Victory Day, May 9, was approaching, and yet that evil was still orchestrating a bloody orgy, unhindered. Who allowed what the great Gideon Greif calls the 'Balkan Auschwitz' to continue operating until May 4? How is it possible that partisan brigades did not attack Jasenovac, while at the same time the Allies bombed Nis, Leskovac, and Podgorica? Who allowed this monstrous camp to continue operating, ensuring that almost no Serbs survived?" Vucic asked.

He pointed out that, for that reason, a group of several hundred prisoners from the central Jasenovac camp gathered all their despair, turned it into courage and determination, and rushed toward freedom.

"Soon after, another 167 prisoners from Camp 4 attempted a breakout toward the Sava River — toward life, but also toward the eternity that follows heroism. Only 11 survived. The rest died on barbed wire, in minefields, or were shot by machine guns — and that marks the end of the story of Jasenovac, the only camp that was never liberated," Vucic said.

Pointing out that the Red Army entered Auschwitz, Vucic stressed that no one ever entered Jasenovac until everything was over — across Europe and the entire world.

The President stated that freedom cannot be given or taken.

"We Serbs are determined to be free," Vucic said, adding that Serbia is under attack both from the outside and from within, as is the Republic of Srpska.

"We do not forgive those who seek to destroy our state," Vucic declared.

He also announced that a magnificent memorial center would be built in Donja Gradina, mostly funded by Serbia — along with another in Belgrade.

Dodik: Serbs Do Not Hate, but They Cannot Forget

The President of The Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, stated that the execution site at Donja Gradina speaks for itself, where no loudspeaker is needed to understand what happened there.

"People were systematically murdered here because it was the official ideology of the NDH. People were killed in horrific agony," Dodik said.

He emphasized that Jasenovac and Donja Gradina are symbols of suffering, bearing witness to the systematic extermination and to the existence of monsters who sought to annihilate an entire people.

Today's gathering, Dodik underlined, is proof that such an annihilation was not possible.

He also conveyed that Serbs do not harbor hatred, but they cannot forget.

Dodik noted that the majority of the people stand behind the freedom, peace, and well-organized statehood of The Republic of Srpska and Serbia, and that many in the region wish for a weakened Serbia.

"You can devise as many courts and dungeons as you like, but you will not destroy the people's call — the call for unity, not at the expense of anyone else. Our people deserve to have a united state, a united faith," Dodik said.

He further pointed out that today it is important to stand alongside the Jewish people in defending their freedom and their state.

"We must stand together with our fellow victims, the Jews, in defense of their freedom and statehood. The circumstances and the goals are almost identical. We see nothing else in the actions of Hamas but what was done to us on Ozren — they beheaded our people and then falsely portrayed those images in Western media as if Serbs had committed those atrocities. They built narratives on lies in order to harm us," Dodik said.

He stressed that today support must be extended to Israel and the Jewish people for their perseverance in the struggle for their state and nation.

Gideon Greif: New Forms of Evil Threaten Our Freedom

Holocaust research expert Gideon Greif stated in Donja Gradina that such a dangerous regime as the NDH should never have been allowed to exist, and that even today, threats from the past continue to reemerge — something we must resist.

Greif emphasized that ideologies which once destroyed the world and humanity — neo-fascism, neo-Nazism, and neo-Ustashism — are rising again, and that new forms of evil continue to endanger our freedom, human rights, and the dignity of mankind.

The Ambassador of Israel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Galit Peleg, read a letter from the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, in which he emphasized his duty as President to remember all those who were killed during the Holocaust and the Second World War.

"This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. As the generation of survivors passes away, it is up to us to carry the torch of remembrance. Events like this ensure that the horrors of those dark days remain etched in our collective memory, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this effort," the letter reads.

As part of the Day of Remembrance ceremony, a memorial service was held beside the "Topole" burial field, conducted by Bishop Jefrem of Banja Luka. Jewish and Roma prayers were also offered.