DODIK: MEMORY OF THE "NEVESINJE RIFFLE" IS OUR SHIELD AGAINST OBLIVION AND HISTORICAL REVISIONISM

BANJA LUKA, JULY 8 /SRNA/ – President Milorad Dodik stressed that the day the first "Nevesinje Riffle" rang out was not an act of aggression or a desire to conquer foreign territory, but an act of resistance by an oppressed people - Herzegovinian householders defending their right to life, their identity, faith and homes and rising up against the tyranny of the Ottoman Empire over Christians.

Marking the 151st anniversary of the Herzegovina Uprising, which began on July 9, 1875, in the village of Krekovi near Nevesinje, Dodik said in a statement to SRNA that the "Nevesinjske Riffle" had become a symbol of resistance, defiance and the determination of the Serb people to defend their freedom regardless of the cost.

"It is not merely a historical fact, but a legacy left by our ancestors and a lasting reminder that freedom must never be taken for granted. The uprising in Krekovi testifies to the strength of the Serb people who, despite immense suffering and hardship, preserved their identity, faith, tradition and dignity," Dodik stressed.

"Today, a century and a half later, we pay tribute with profound respect to the Herzegovinian insurgents whose sacrifice left an indelible mark on history. Their courage and determination oblige us to preserve historical memory, nurture a culture of remembrance and pass the truth on to future generations," Dodik pointed out.

According to Dodik, history shows that the Serb people were never conquerors, occupiers or tyrants, but fought only to defend what was their own.

"All our struggles, wars and uprisings were purely defensive. Our only 'fault' throughout the centuries was that we never traded our faith for personal gain, that we preserved Christianity and the Orthodox faith while various empires sought to destroy our identity, churches and property," Dodik stressed.

He said that the "Nevesinje Riffle" was also a measure of last resort and the final line of defense of Serbian lands, the Christian faith and Serbian homes against the Ottoman occupier, because, just as Serbs have never been tyrants or occupiers, they are also not a people who endure terror, injustice, foreign domination, humiliation or oppression.

He reminded that the Serb people had made what he described as the greatest sacrifice throughout the centuries, but had never bowed their heads, applauded or thrown flowers before an occupying force, instead always standing on the side of the victors, justice and truth.

"When we fought in 1875, and later in the Ulog Uprising of 1882, we were always defending ourselves against attacks by occupying forces, just as we did in 1914 and 1941, when the Serb people were once again forced to take up arms to protect themselves from biological destruction, genocide and fascist terror."
During the recent Homeland-Defense War, Serb soldiers stood in defense of their villages and towns, protecting Republika Srpska as the only guarantee that the execution sites, pits, camps and slaughterhouses endured by Serbs in the past would never be repeated," Dodik stressed.

He said the Serbian military tradition is deeply rooted in Christian morality and a code of honor that holds that the enemy should be defeated on the battlefield, never through treachery or cowardice - at a family's patron saint's day celebration, from behind, on the doorstep of a home, or in the cradle, because places of worship, prisoners of war, women and children are not to be harmed.

"By defending themselves, Serbs often defended the civilizational values of Europe as a whole, paying for freedom with the highest possible price - millions of human lives.
Today, when we live in freedom, we have a duty to speak this truth openly and not remain silent, as the communist authorities did while concealing crimes committed against Serbs under the banner of so-called brotherhood and unity.

We must not allow those who were occupiers and perpetrators throughout history to write textbooks today and reverse the roles of victims and perpetrators. That is why the memory of the 'Nevesinje Riffle' is our shield against oblivion and historical revisionism," Dodik said.

He stressed that the Serb people today seek peace, stability and progress.

"We have never gambled with peace or sacrificed it for political goals, as others have done. Today, we remain determined to preserve what our ancestors left us. Our weapons today are knowledge, work, development, progress and the pride with which we speak the name of our homeland," Dodik said, adding that Republika Srpska, created in peace and defended in war, is preserved through stability, prosperity and efforts to improve the lives of every child, young person, student, parent, pensioner and family as a whole.

He pointed out that Republika Srpska is the only guarantor of the survival of the Serb people, the defender of their dignity and the direct heir to the solemn legacy born out of the "Nevesinje Riffle".

"By protecting Republika Srpska, we remain worthy of our ancestors while fulfilling our duty to our children and future generations. The freedom and autonomy of the Serb people west of the Drina are not, and never will be, a subject of political bargaining, nor can they be erased by anyone's decrees.

"All political actors must be responsible and united in this regard. Unfortunately, such unity is difficult to achieve among Serbs, and that has long been our fate. Harmony and unity build a home, a town and a homeland. History has shown that disunity has always come at a high cost to us, and it continues to do so today," Dodik emphasized.

He that Republika Srpska proudly upholds the Serb people's tradition of striving for freedom, stressing that a nation that forgets its brave heroes and the enormous sacrifices it has made risks losing its future as well.

"That is why we pay special tribute to the Herzegovinian insurgents, mindful that their legacy also obliges us to preserve peace, strengthen our institutions, foster unity and resolutely protect the interests of Republika Srpska and the Serb people.

'Nevesinje Riffle' is our lasting reminder that freedom, honor and unity are values for which there is no alternative," Dodik concluded.

The first "Nevesinje Riffle" was an uprising launched in the village of Krekovi, near Nevesinje, on July 9, 1875, against Ottoman rule. It soon spread throughout BiH with the support of Serbia and Montenegro.

The uprising eventually developed into the Serbo-Turkish War. At the Congress of Berlin in 1878, Serbia and Montenegro gained independence and territorial expansion, while Austria-Hungary occupied BiH for the following 30 years.