DODIK: WHERE FBiH STARTS, HATRED TOWARD SERB NAME AND FAITH BEGINS

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 1 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik emphasizes that threats made against the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Tuzla are not only an attack on religion but an attack on the very existence of the Serb people, who are barely surviving in the FBiH.

"For years, we’ve seen the same pattern – the authorities in Sarajevo’s silence over anti-Serb narratives, tolerance of hate speech toward Serbs, and attempts to erase Serbs’ presence. This is a policy that has lasted for decades, and if it weren’t for Republika Srpska, everything with Serb prefix in these areas would have already been erased," stated Dodik.

He pointed out that this is precisely why Republika Srpska must remain strong and determined.

"Republika Srpska is the guarantee that Serbs will not disappear, that no one will be able to turn them into second-class residents, and that any hand that threatens them will meet a boundary guarded by the people of Srpska," Dodik stressed.

He stated that peace, stability, and respect for all its citizens are guaranteed in Republika Srpska, which is not the case in the FBiH.

"I expect and call on all Serbs to keep respecting and protecting all places of worship in BiH. Where the Federation starts, hatred toward the Serb name and faith begins," Dodik posted on X.

From prison in Tuzla, Dževad Hasić sent a threatening letter to Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/, stating that they are not welcome in that city and declaring that the Orthodox priest will be converted to Islam, and the cross will be replaced with the crescent and star.

His Eminence Metropolitan Fotije of Zvornik and Tuzla warned that this is not an isolated incident, but for some time has been part of a continuous process of attacks on the Orthodox community in the FBiH.