FILIPOVIĆ: SERBIAN TRICOLOUR SHOULD FLY FROM ONTARIO TO AUSTRALIA

BELGRADE, SEPTEMBER 15 /SRNA/ – The Head of the Association of War Volunteers 1912-1918 Nikola Filipović told SRNA that the Serbian tricolour is a symbol of Serb statehood and that as long as it is celebrated, there will be both Serbia and Republika Srpska, expressing confidence that today this national symbol will fly from Knin to Prizren and from Ontario to Australia.

Filipović explained that it is no coincidence that September 15, the day of the breakthrough of the Salonika Front, was chosen to mark the Day of the Unity of Serbs, Freedom, and the National Flag. He emphasized that many are unaware that the Serbian army was the only one in World War I whose regimental flags did not fall into enemy hands.

"There is an event when the Austrians captured a regimental flag near Leget Port, but a medical colonel swam across the Sava River during the night, took the flag, and returned it to Serbia," Filipović said, adding that in the military tradition of the Serb people, the flag is a symbol of statehood.

According to him, as long as the Serb tricolour is in the hands of a Serb soldier, Serbia's statehood will continue to exist. Where there is a Serbian with the flag, there will be both Serbia and Republika Srpska.

Filipović pointed out that the flag has been guarded as the greatest sacred symbol in all areas where Serbs live for centuries and mentioned that in 2023, a flag of the Timok Brigade of the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland was found behind the icon of Saint Sava in the Church of Saint George in Knjaževac.

"This is proof that, no matter how difficult the times, Serbs have always done everything to preserve the flag," Filipović stressed.

He pointed out that Serbs in Montenegro still preserve the tradition of flag-bearers inherited from ancient times.

"In our case, almost all such flags are kept in the Military Museum, to be preserved and displayed, while in Montenegro, this tradition is still maintained by families. Perhaps this is because the political circumstances there have been much more turbulent throughout the centuries," Filipović said.

He emphasized that at military parades in Moscow and Beijing, one could see how these great nations treat their flags and announced that at the Military Parade in Belgrade on Saturday, September 20, which marks the conclusion of this year’s celebration of the Day of the Unity of Serbs, Freedom, and the National Flag, all Serb flags throughout history will be displayed.

"The parade will feature all the flags from the First Serbian Uprising, from the insurrection flag of Leader Karađorđe to today's brigade flags. There will also be regimental flags from the time of Dušan's Serbia, flags from World War II, and the flags of the brigades that defended Yugoslavia from the NATO aggression," Filipović said.

He urged that more work should be done with young people in Serbia to instill love for the national symbol, emphasizing that much can be learned from Republika Srpska, which understood its significance much earlier.

"I believe that the Serbian tricolour will fly today from Knin to Prizren, from Ontario to Australia. Wherever Serbs live, let us display our tricolours. We owe it to our ancestors, but also to our descendants," Filipović concluded.

The Day of the Unity of Serbs, Freedom, and the National Flag is a state holiday celebrated on September 15 in the Republic of Serbia and Republika Srpska. The holiday was symbolically established to be celebrated on the day of the breakthrough of the Salonika Front and has been celebrated since 2020.