On Friday, Stolac received a mural in honor of the Civic Football Club “Dinamo” Zagreb, in Humska Street, where there is also a mural of Hajduk from Split, which caused harsh reactions from the SDA organization in Stolac, considering the act shameful due to controversial symbols from the time of the NDH.
The municipal board of this party emphasized that the display of such symbols arouses negative emotions among people.
“We, as an organization that values democracy, peace and tolerance, want to express our strong condemnation of the recently created mural in Stolac, which depicts the borders of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). Such a depiction of a historical period that brought a lot of suffering, victims, and injustice to many people in the entire region, causes deep concern and discomfort. We believe it is important that art promotes the values of tolerance, coexistence and reconciliation. Showing symbols or borders that are connected to difficult times in the past can support divisions and negative emotions among people,” stated municipal board of SDA Stolac.
Instead, as they point out, they invite artists and citizens to work together on artistic projects that promote peace, understanding and solidarity.
“Aware of the seriousness of the situation, we also call on the competent authorities to act quickly and decisively to identify the perpetrators who created this controversial mural. We expect the judicial system to conduct an investigation to determine responsibility for this act and that the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” it was stated from the SDA organization in Stolac.
They say that only such a step can send a strong message to promote the values of peace, coexistence and the rule of law.
“We ask the mayor of Stolac and the local HDZ, the bearer of European values, who have full power in Stolac, to remove the mural from the public space in order to avoid further controversy and potential damage to society, especially the returnee population in Stolac,” it was concluded in a statement the Municipal Board of SDA Stolac.