In every analysis of the case involving a pig’s head in Liska Cemetery, there is only one conclusion: pure fascism at work. It is not a miracle when it comes to Mostar.
The ethnic-religious divisions and constantly fueled and incited confrontation and animosity, which are especially intensified ahead of the elections, cannot bring anything other than fascism.
From Liska 1997 to Liska 2026
The fascism, which is the politics of demagogues who have no other motive than maintaining and spreading their own power, and who, for that purpose, are using and creating a sense of anger among their own people, a sense of victimhood among their own people, spreading hate, hiding away the intellectual emptiness behind slogans and insults against the other and different.
Such fascism sees itself as an eternal victim and deeply distrusts intellectuals, cosmopolitans, and everyone and everything that is “different.” Such a policy feeds on stupidity and a half-civilized nature. It blindly trusts the leader, and the political program either does not exist or is not respected; it is enough to follow the leader.
It is, by definition, a dictatorship as its goals can only be implemented through violence. All differences, primarily ethnic ones, are forcibly removed, and the “purity” of the nation is secured. All differences in religion, worldview, culture, and policy are forcibly removed, and the technique that is implemented everywhere is always identical: there is a leader, their own group is always the victim (mostly the neighbor), and all the anger of their own people is directed towards the enemy. Fascism is always striving for the dominance of one ethnicity over another, striving for the homogeneity of its own ethnicity, and promising that this will happen through its universal formula: “strength through unity.” Does this sound familiar to you?
The warmongering atmosphere is generated by leading political parties, with their political and religious leaders. The atmosphere they absolutely need in their “hunt” for voters and which definitely, unfortunately, has yielded results in Mostar for the past 30 years continues today, just as it did in 1997, when the Liska Street and the Liska Cemetery were the scene of hatred, violence, and murder. The Planinići, Radići, Hrkaći-Ćikote, Cvitanovići, and others of that time have been replaced by new torchbearers of intolerance, radicalization, and fascism in its purest form. Therefore, nothing has changed to this day, just different actors and methods. But what kind of perspective could such political forces, on such grounds and “ideas,” provide to this city except divisions, poverty, hopelessness, social, cultural, moral, and every other kind of regression?
The Sanctity of Graves
It would be worthwhile and helpful for the people of this city to choose a different perspective for their future. Or, as a famous American President used to tell the voters: “Don’t whine, don’t complain, don’t get bitter – vote.” Alternatives exist; despite the flood of nationalist euphoria, xenophobia, and wartime autism, there are guardians and advocates of another perception of our Mostar and our country, the guardians and advocates of another culture and civilizational achievement, which are trying to preserve and pass on to new generations. An uncompromising and incredibly brave hope for a promising and powerful Mostar rich in civilization exists among the people of Mostar as a testament and proof of, and trust in, common sense in these gray and intolerant times.
The Fascism-oriented youth are our responsibility in Mostar; they are the responsibility and difficult task for the future of those people from Mostar who knew how to build the society of Mostar on antifascist traditions, all those people from Mostar who created this city, preserved it, and built it with a magnificent idea that anyone who respects the other and the different is welcome to Mostar. Mostar has demonstrated this through its long, enduring tradition of a multi-religious population, from its founding to the present day.
The sanctity of our fellow citizens’ graves must not be violated. The institutions must demonstrate that they are protecting the dignity of the people resting in those graves. The case must be investigated, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice. This incident should be understood as one in a series of incidents aimed at introducing additional divisions and hatred among the people of Mostar ahead of the upcoming elections.
