Graffiti reading “4th Corps” and “1981” appeared this morning on the sign of the Cathedral Church Museum in Mostar, located in front of the Bishop’s Palace. The inscriptions refer to the 4th Corps of the Army of BiH, which operated in Herzegovina, and to “Red Army”, a fan group supporting the football club Velež.
The Bishop’s Palace in Mostar, which serves as the seat of the Diocese of Zahumlje, Herzegovina and the Littoral, also houses the Church Municipality of Mostar, the General Consulate of Serbia, the Office of Republika Srpska, and the Serb Educational and Cultural Society “Prosvjeta” – Mostar City Board.
Duško Kojić, head priest of the Cathedral Church in Mostar, said that the incident deeply disturbed the clergy and everyone entering the building.
“These are very unpleasant messages that contribute nothing good to life in Mostar. The concern is even greater because this building is under police surveillance, yet such an incident still occurred,” Kojić said.
The Consul General of Serbia in Mostar, Vaso Gujić, said he was shocked and unpleasantly surprised by the discovery of the graffiti.
“I can only interpret this as an attempt to undermine the very good relations between the local Bosniak majority living near the Palace, the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the staff of the Consulate General of Serbia in Mostar,” Gujić noted.
He emphasized that the vandalism occurred just a few meters from a police guard post, in an area covered by security cameras.
“I hope it will not be difficult to identify the perpetrators. As a diplomatic mission, we will formally address the competent BiH authorities to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to prevent such incidents from happening again,” Gujić stated.
The Church Municipality of Mostar confirmed that the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Interior Ministry (MUP HNK) has been informed about the incident.
Source: RTRS
