Wreaths were laid today at the "Topole" cemetery in the Donja Gradin Memorial Area for more than 500.000 Serbs, 40.000 Roma, 33.000 Jews and 127.000 anti-fascists who were killed in the Jasenovac system of Croatian concentration camps, RTRS reported.
The highest officials of Republika Srpska and Serbia laid wreaths and flowers in the Donja Gradin Memorial Area, and then a memorial service was held for the victims of Jasenovac.
The commemoration was attended by the presidents of Serbia and Republika Srpska, Aleksandar Vučić and Milorad Dodik, Serbian member and chairwoman of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović, other officials from the RS and Serbia, as well as numerous citizens.
The commemorations for the victims are dedicated to the breakthrough of the Jasenovac concentration camp on April 22, 1945, in which the last 600 camp inmates participated, of which about 100 survived.
The Jasenovac camp was formed during the Second World War as a place of imprisonment, forced labor and liquidation primarily of Serbs, Roma, Jews, but also Croats and others in order to create an ethnically pure territory of the Quisling NDH.
According to the data of the Public Institution Jasenovac memorial area, based on the collected names, from August 1941 to April 22, 1945, 83.145 victims were killed, and more than 20.000 children were among the victims.
The memorial area of Donja Gradina is located on the right bank of the Sava, and during the Second World War it was part of the Jasenovac camp.
President Vučić used the opportunity to thank President Dodik in front of the crowd "for the fact that for 9 years we have been commemorating the suffering of our people".
"That is important precisely because I am not a Belgrade Serb, and my father is not a Bosnian Serb, we are both only Serbs." Just like other members of our people, no matter where they are from, even if they are Serbs. We are a unique nation and no one will ever be able to change that. What has changed is a lot in our attitude towards external events and the emotions of our people have changed. Our people cannot accept that we are always the state's culprits. Today, Serbs know how to react to every kind of pressure in every way and almost uniquely. When a Serb gets fed up, there is no going back. A Serb just wants to be himself in his own way and nothing more than that," said Vučić.
He also referred to today's elections in the north of Kosovo.
"They are trying to establish the government of those who don't even live there and don't even have two percent of the vote. I can proudly say that until this moment, only a few Serbs have come out in all four municipalities together. "Serbs will not serve other people's interests, they want to serve their own interests," said Vučić.
S.Ć./Danas/B92
Read daily news, analysis, commentary and interviews at www.vreme.com
