KOŠARAC: DAY THAT LAID SARAJEVO BARE AND REVEALED ITS TRUE FACE

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, MAY 4 /SRNA/ – Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers Staša Košarac told SRNA that yesterday's events "laid Sarajevo bare to its core," saying the city showed what he described as its "true face", which he characterized as anti-Serb, intolerant, hypocritical and insidious.

"Candles and white roses, laid as a sign of respect for those killed in what was formerly Dobrovoljačka Street, ended up in a trash container as soon as delegations from Republika Srpska and the victims' families left. So much for `multiethnic` Sarajevo," Košarac said.

He noted that on the same day, players of Banja Luka's Borac football club were greeted at Koševo Stadium with chants of "kill the Chetniks" and offensive graffiti.

Košarac said the message was clear and "brutally consistent" that there is no place for Serbs in Sarajevo, "neither for the living nor the dead".

"It does not matter whether you come to quietly and respectfully pay tribute to brutally killed soldiers and civilians or to play a football match in a sporting atmosphere.

Sarajevo's response is always the same - Serbs are not welcome," Košarac said.

He added that Sarajevo not only fails to acknowledge crimes against Serbs, but also "humiliates, belittles, and symbolically kills the victims again".

"Sarajevo remains silent about the crime in Dobrovoljačka Street, about the exodus of 150,000 Serbs, about 126 detention facilities in wartime Sarajevo, and about the fact that Serbs in that city were tortured and killed during the war solely because of their nationality and faith," Košarac said.

He added that, on the other hand, Sarajevo is vocal when it comes to spreading "anti-Serb hysteria, hate speech and insults".

"And so, after `paying tribute` to dead Serbs by throwing candles and roses into trash containers, Sarajevo moves to the stadium to offer Borac players a `warm welcome` with `cosmopolitan` chants of `kill the Chetniks,`" Košarac said.

He added that Sarajevo then promotes narratives abroad about being a "European Jerusalem" and a "multiethnic city".

"Nothing new from Sarajevo. Only falsehoods, intolerance and duplicity, which they unsuccessfully try to mask with mantras about tolerance, coexistence, and multiethnicity," Košarac concluded.

Following the marking of the 34th anniversary of the killing of JNA soldiers in Dobrovoljačka Street, roses and candles were thrown into a container, removing any trace of the commemoration.

The match between Banja Luka's Borac and Sarajevo was also accompanied by chants from Sarajevo fans of "kill the Chetniks". In addition to the chanting, offensive graffiti reading "Chetniks, darkness awaits you" appeared at Koševo Stadium.