At the King Aleksandar I Karađorđević Bridge, which is a border crossing between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, a performance took place in which youth from Zvornik and Mali Zvornik symbolically joined the flags of the Republika Srpska entity and the Republic of Serbia on the border line.
Although Radio-Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS) presented the event as connecting people, joining entity and Serbian symbols at the state border of Bosnia and Herzegovina is clearly a nationalist performance. The representative of the youth from Zvornik, Stefan Prodanović, said from the bridge that this act is an indicator of connection between the people on both sides of the river.
Prodanović said that the Drina River divides them only geographically, while history, the fight for freedom, culture, and flag unite them. The representative of the Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Mali Zvornik, Srđan Jovanović, sent a similar message, saying that gathering on the border bridge symbolizes unity.
After activities on the bridge, the participants also visited the Karađorđević underground city, located nearby.
This performance was organized as part of the commemoration of the “Day of Serb Unity, Freedom, and National Flag,” a holiday which Serbia and the Bosnian entity Republika Srpska mark in memory of September 15, 1918, when the Salonika Front was broken in World War I.
Displaying and joining the flag of the Republika Srpska entity with the flag of Serbia right on the border line, while completely ignoring the official state symbols of Bosnia and Herzegovina, directly undermines the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Stating that the internationally recognized state border is “only a geographical obstacle” carries political weight and secessionist allusions.
The King Aleksandar I Karađorđević Bridge holds a specific status; it is a local border crossing intended for pedestrians and the local population of Zvornik and Mali Zvornik to ease their daily lives, going to work, school, etc., Klix.ba writes.
