Freedom cannot and must not be traded when it comes to our people, said Patriarch Porfirije during the commemoration of the Day of Remembrance of the Serbs who died and were exiled in the “Storm” operation.
“We have gathered to remember the violent persecution of our people from Dalmatia, Bania, Lika and Slavonia. We should remember only one in the indelible series of our Serbian Golgothas,” said Patriarch Porfirije.
He pointed out that the Serbian people know their way, “all the way to Golgotha”.
“There is no killer that is stronger than Christ and peace. Peace has no alternative. The exodus from Croatia is just one of the sufferings of our people,” the patriarch said.
He emphasized the need to accept the law of the man of God, because in that case he will know what family and priorities are.
“Without him as a landmark, it will be twisted. Our ancestors knew that, they left it in their vow, and that is Svetosavlje,” emphasized Patriarch Porfirije.
According to him, only Serbs can maintain the path of the man of God and only then there is much more hope for us and our children.
In Loznica today, the commemoration of the Day of Remembrance for all those who died and were exiled in the Croatian armed action “Storm” began with a memorial service officiated by Patriarch Porfirije, in the presence of the state leadership of Serbia and Republika Srpska.
The Remembrance Day at the “Lagator” stadium is attended by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, the President of the Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, the President of the Serbian Assembly Ana Brnabić, the Prime Minister of Serbia Miloš Vučević with members of the government, the Serbian member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović, the Mayor of Banja Luka Draško Stanivuković and others.
30,000 citizens attend Memorial Day at the stadium in Loznica.
Serbia and the Republika Srpska have been commemorating the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the “Storm” together since 2015, and last year it was celebrated in Prijedor.
It was the largest exodus of Serbs in Europe after World War II.
The military-police operation “Storm” began at dawn on August 4 and lasted until August 7, 1995.
According to the data of the “Veritas” Documentation and Information Center, during this operation by Croatian forces in the RSK, almost 2,000 people were killed or considered missing, and more than 220,000 Serbs were expelled from their homes in the then Republika Srpska Krajina.
Among those killed, 65 percent were civilians, among whom almost three quarters were over 60 years old. Almost a third, 29 percent, of those killed were women, mostly old women, reports Tanjug.
Photo: Nezavisne Novine
