At the “Rajko Mitić” Stadium in Belgrade, an extremely disturbing incident was recorded, once again reflecting the depth of ideological toxicity in society there.
During the match between Serbia and the Netherlands, a group of children formed an improvised “kop” in the north stand at the Marakana and displayed a banner dedicated to Ratko Mladić, the convicted war criminal.
The scariest part of the entire story is the age of the actors – minors who, organizationally and without any reaction from the authorities, glorified the man responsible for the most severe crimes on European soil after the Second World War.
Due to previous UEFA sanctions and stand closures, mostly primary school children and younger groups were allowed to attend the game. However, instead of providing sporting support, the youngest were used as a tool to spread hatred and glorify genocide.
The war criminal Mladić, who was finally convicted for genocide in Srebrenica, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws and customs of war, was portrayed as a heroic figure in the eyes of these youngsters.
It is frightening to see how the systematic alteration of history and glorification of crimes are casually passed on to new generations who know nothing about war atrocities except for toxic propaganda.
The lack of any timely reaction from the organisers or security at the stadium indicates that there is still tacit approval in that society for these scandalous outbursts.
Instead of sports venues serving as places to promote fair play, tolerance, and healthy youth development, Belgrade once again sent an embarrassing image to the world.
Due to yet another incident in a series of outbursts, UEFA should react with the strictest possible sanctions, because tolerating such behaviour among the youngest directly jeopardises all civilizational values, Klix.ba writes.
