Tonight at the Belgrade Marakana, in front of tens of thousands of people, a picture of Ratko Mladić and a banner with the message “Potočari Direction” were erected. A message that is not just a morbid provocation. She is a reminder of how deep a society can fall that turns a war criminal into a hero.
Ratko Mladić is not a “general”, “symbol” or “hero”. He is a legally convicted war criminal, who was sentenced to life in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war. The court established his responsibility for persecution, extermination, murders, deportations and forced relocation, for terrorizing the civilians of Sarajevo, illegal attacks on civilians and taking UN members hostage.
The genocide in Srebrenica was committed under his command. International courts found that between 7,000 and 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed during the operation in July 1995, with the vast majority not killed in battle, but systematically executed.
And then we come to those two words: “Pracac Potočari”.
These are not just words from a banner. These are the words Mladić spoke on July 11, 1995, after his forces entered Srebrenica: “Potočari direction! Potočari direction – Bratunac!”
On that day, Potočari became a place where tens of thousands of people sought salvation. In the days that followed, men and boys were separated from their families, captured and taken to places of execution, while women, children and the elderly were forcibly deported. International courts found that the killing of thousands of Bosniak men was part of a planned and coordinated genocide operation.
That’s why “Pravac Potočari” is not a fan slogan.
It’s mocking the dead. Mocking the mothers who are still looking for the bones of their children. Mocking the survivors. Mocking the facts established by international courts.
And perhaps the scariest thing of all is that today this is not happening somewhere in the dark, but in the stadium, in front of thousands of people, with applause and approval.
It is no longer a question of football.
It is a matter of moral bottom.
Because a society that makes a hero out of a convicted war criminal, and a fan slogan out of a place of genocide, has not only forgotten the past.
It decided to glorify her.
