If you try to ban, deny, or take something away from the Serbs, instead of one you will get two. This was the message sent by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Nenad Stevandić, to all those who attempt to impose bans or their own will on the Serb people.
“On the eve of the 34th anniversary of Republika Srpska, one important lesson stands out: it would be best not to try to take anything away from the Serbs, abolish it, or ban it. Whenever you try, we turn one into two,” Stevandić said in a video posted on X.
He supported his message with examples from history that, as he said, prove his point.
“They tried to abolish our traditional flag, which is older than all nations and states in the Balkans, and of course they failed. We use the flag with the Nemanjić coat of arms in our homes, offices, and on important historical dates, but alongside it we now also use the traditional Serb tricolour. If you tried to take one flag away from us—you ended up with two,” Stevandić said, pointing to both flags displayed in the hall of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska.
A similar situation, he added, occurred with what he described as a futile attempt to ban the Nemanjić coat of arms, the most sacred coat of arms in Serb history, which still adorns his office as well as many others.
“It is part of our identity, before which we and our ancestors swore oaths for centuries—a coat of arms that guarded all our family patron-saint days and is part of our soul. As you know, they failed. It is found in every Serb household, and every Serb child knows what the Nemanjić coat of arms is. In response to all this, we respected the formal framework and introduced the emblem of Republika Srpska as an additional coat of arms, which also carries all the symbols of our statehood—our crown and our flag. The emblem shows that we do not renounce what is ours. Instead of one coat of arms, those who wanted to abolish it once again ended up with two,” Stevandić recalled.
He said the greatest absurdity, however, was the failed attempt to abolish January 9 as the birth date of Republika Srpska.
“They tried to say we were not born on that day, but on some other day to be determined by some high, low, or various Serb-haters and self-hating ideologues. For years they tried to convince us that we were not born on January 9, that Serb deputies did not vote on that day. They failed. It is celebrated in every home, people decorate with flags, and in addition to that, as is well known, we gained another date we celebrate—Sretenje, February 15. That is the date of Serb statehood. That statehood is both Sretenje and Saint Stephen’s Day. These are historical facts and, even more, matters of emotion—on our side positive and patriotic, and on the other side emotions of hatred they try to turn into a political narrative of bans. Don’t ban anything from the Serbs,” Stevandić said.
In conclusion, he sent what he described as an indirect but very clear message to those who dream of abolishing Republika Srpska.
“They should think carefully, because we are a people who know our history, faith, and tradition. If you try to abolish Republika Srpska, instead of one you might get… you already know,” Stevandić concluded.
Source: RTRS
