The Day of White Ribbons will be marked in Prijedor today. The public gathering has been duly announced and will be held starting at 11 a.m., said the organizer of this year’s celebration, the informal civic initiative “Because it concerns me”.
“With a white ribbon around the arm and a white canvas on the window, we will mark the Day of White Ribbons this May 31. The International Day of White Ribbons is a reminder of May 31, 1992, when the Prijedor Municipality’s Crisis Staff forced the non-Serb population to mark their houses and apartments with white flags, and if they were moving around the city, to wear a white ribbon around their arms. The Prijedor white tapes have been established as a fact in several court trials for war crimes, from the first verdict at the ICTY in The Hague to Duško Tadić, to the umbrella verdicts for Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić,” was stated from the “Because it concerns me” Initiative.
The central commemoration in Prijedor begins with a gathering in the Old Town at 11 a.m., in Ahmet Babić Street, at the place where a monument will be erected for the 102 murdered Prijedor children.
At 12 o’clock, the participants are expected to arrive at the main square of Prijedor, where the central program marking the Day of White Ribbons will be held and 102 roses with the names of the murdered children will be laid.
Protest over the unfinished monument
The Day of White Ribbons is being held this year as a protest because the Prijedor authorities, led by Mayor Slobodan Javor, have not yet issued approval for the construction of a monument to the murdered children.
According to the organizers, the support of the citizens who come to celebrate the Day of White Ribbons is very important because the parents of the murdered Prijedor children did not receive help or understanding from local institutions.
“We invite the participants of the Day of White Ribbons not to bring their own banners, wreaths, flowers, flags and other symbols, it is enough to put a white ribbon on their arm. Messages sent to the public space on White Ribbon Day must be aligned with the goals we have proclaimed and must not be misused in any way. We consider it inappropriate that on that day and in the name of the white ribbons, tickets are charged, books are sold, souvenirs are sold, and financial profit is made in any other way. We draw the attention of the media that will follow the marking of the Day of White Ribbons to pay maximum attention in their programs and content to the parents of the murdered children, and not to the politicians who use their tragedy for their own promotion,” the Initiative said.
The initiative “Because it concerns me” organizes the central marking of the Day of White Ribbons in Prijedor and does not take responsibility for what happens in other cities and countries.
“If in your city the marking of the Day of White Ribbons is organized by people who are connected to parties, religious communities or associations that are compromised, then we invite you not to join such a gathering. It is enough to put a white cloth on the window on the Day of White Ribbons and walk around your city with a white ribbon around your arm,” the Initiative pointed out.
They condemned any attempt to challenge the white stripes, stating that they are a judicially established fact.
“We defend ourselves and condemn every attempt to use white stripes to spread hatred, xenophobia and cause inter-national tensions and divisions,” said the Initiative “Because it concerns me”.
