Fifty years after the world said “Never Again”, genocide took place on European soil.

The name Srebrenica has become synonymous with those dark days in July 1995 when in a UN declared safe area, over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were murdered on the basis of their identity and buried in mass graves. Although this is the only mass killing of the war that has been officially ruled as genocide by the international courts, this atrocity was only the final act in a much broader genocidal strategy. Srebrenica was the planned, systematic and industrialised conclusion of a four year campaign of forced deportation, torture, mass murder and systematic sexual violence by Bosnian Serb forces in service of their goal to create a “Greater Serbia”.

The lesson from Srebrenica is that no society is invulnerable to prejudice and intolerance. We must all remain vigilant against these forces and take positive action to build stronger, more resilient communities. I am therefore delighted that you have chosen to participate on this important and pioneering programme which will not only provide you with the unique opportunity to learn the lessons from the genocide but equip you with the practical skills, confidence and networks positively and sustainably to tackle hatred and intolerance in your community.

Thank you for joining Remembering Srebrenica and De Montfort University on this virtual delegation.