Belgrade: SREBRENICA 1995–2005
"Never Again" in seven different languages

We just came back from the great vigil for the 10th ANNIVERSARY
OF THE GENOCIDE IN SREBRENICA organized by Women in Black.
About 200 activists were standing in silence from across Serbia,
Italy, Germany, USA, as well as supporters from various other countries.
We formed a semi-circle on the main square in Belgrade with
messages "Let us not forget", "Ten years since the genocide in
Srebrenica", "Women in Black for Peace and Human Rights" and
made a peace sign on the ground with candles, and - "Never Again"
in seven different languages.

After around 20 minutes, about 25 nationalist neo-nazi counter-protesters
began shouting "Knife, Wire, Srebrenica", "Serbia for Serbs", with gestures
‘Hail Hitler’, insulting us. At one moment someone threw a tear gas bomb
into the center of our circle, which exploded and the gas blew towards one
side of the circle of demonstrators. While the activists on the other side
continued standing, those toward which smoke blew were forced to move
back and ran towards the theater, followed by the counter-protestors.
Within 10 minutes, special police forces arrived in order to protect us.

As our activists who had to run came back and reformed the semi-circle,
the whole time counter-protestors continued to provoke.
The vigil ended by laying down the white roses on the square's
monument by the side of the banner
"Let us not forget - Srebrenica - 1995 - 2005 - Women in Black".
As we prepared to leave, the counter-protestors were shouting "There will
be a reprise", "No one can save you", and "We know where you live".
One group of the activists were accompanied by police back to the
Women in Black office, guarded by the police all night.

In Solidarity,
Tamara Belenzada and Dana Johnson
Women in Black
11 juli 2005

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