“Jasenovac, Remembrance and Warning” is the title of an exhibition opened this evening in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The exhibition presents authentic historical archive documents, photographs and testimonies of survivors from the Ustasha concentration camp of Jasenovac concentration camp.
President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Nenad Stevandić, who is leading the parliamentary delegation in Strasbourg, said the exhibition is significant because it is the first time the Independent State of Croatia and the crimes of the Ustasha regime are being discussed in this setting.
“In Europe, Marko Perković Thompson would not be able to hold concerts like those in Croatia. We must shed light on that historical revisionism, condemn that system, and condemn Nazism as the bloodiest period in human history. We Serbs waited a long time for that truth to cross our borders,” Stevandić said.
Respect for victims
Stevandić said Serb victims cannot remain without dignity and remembrance.
“I believe this is a good way to spread our truth beyond our borders, as part of self-respect and as part of broader civilizational values, so that Ustasha glorification is not celebrated and historical revisionism as a political direction in the Balkans is ended, especially in Croatia,” he said.
First exhibition of its kind in the Parliament
According to organizers, this is the first exhibition of its kind held in the European Parliament. Its goal is to remind members of parliament of the importance of historical memory and of suffering during World War II.
“We are not showing hatred or hostility toward any nation, but we are showing that double standards cannot be applied — pretending to be European here while glorifying Nazis or Ustashas elsewhere,” Stevandić added.
He said the exhibition was prepared by the archives of Republika Srpska and Vojvodina as a joint project of Serbia and Republika Srpska.
Organized by French MP of Serb origin
The exhibition was organized in cooperation with the Federation of Young Serbs of Europe by Aleksandar Nikolić.
“It was very important today to organize an exhibition on Jasenovac here in the heart of the European Parliament,” Nikolić said.
“Our message today is that we want to prevent such crimes from happening again in the future. It is especially important that this initiative comes from a representative of French origin, sending a message of the great friendship between Serbs and French people, while remembering important moments in history, from the Salonika Front onward. My father had Serb roots, and it was my wish for such an exhibition to be organized in the heart of the European Parliament,” he added.
Source: RTRS
