President of the Alliance of Serbs from the Region, Miodrag Linta, stated that recent hate messages directed at Serbs—from stadium chants to reactions surrounding the commemoration in Dobrovoljačka Street—reflect a broader refusal by political elites in Sarajevo to confront the past.
According to Linta, such rhetoric stems from what he describes as persistent political narratives aimed at Republika Srpska and Serbia.
He argued that there is no willingness among Sarajevo-based political actors to acknowledge that crimes occurred on all sides during the war, stressing that accountability for perpetrators and respect for all victims should be a universal principle.
Referring specifically to the Dobrovoljačka case, Linta claimed that Serbian victims continue to be minimized or denied, while attention is focused primarily on Bosniak victims. He added that younger generations, including football fans, are influenced by what he described as a broader atmosphere shaped by political discourse.
Linta further stated that such incidents signal, in his view, a rejection of the Dayton Peace Agreement framework and continued advocacy for a more centralized Bosnia and Herzegovina—an approach he believes deepens divisions and tensions.
Despite this, he emphasized the importance of responding without escalation, calling on Serbs to remain committed to truth, mutual respect for all victims regardless of ethnicity or religion, and accountability for crimes—while avoiding reciprocation of hate speech.
The statements follow incidents during a football match between FK Borac Banja Luka and FK Sarajevo at Koševo Stadium, where offensive chants and graffiti were reported, as well as the removal of flowers and candles placed during a commemoration in Dobrovoljačka Street.
Source: RTRS
