In advance of Srebrenica National Memorial Day (11 July), Cumberland Council’s Executive Member, Cllr Elaine Lynch, has urged fellow councillors to ‘stand together against those who try to divide us and recommit ourselves to opposing hatred, discrimination, and prejudice wherever they rear their head’.
The council is also encouraging local communities to join them and local schools in commemorating the national Memorial Day.
Speaking at yesterday’s (Tuesday 8 July) Council meeting, Cllr Lynch, Cumberland Council Executive Member for Lifelong Learning and Development, said:
“The lessons from Srebrenica are that hatred and intolerance can flourish if left unchallenged which underlines the importance of why we must never forget about the tragic events that took place and remain resolute in our commitment to tackling hatred, intolerance, prejudice and discrimination in all forms.”
She added:
“By learning the lessons from Srebrenica, we can, through our actions - however big or small - collectively make a difference and create communities based on empathy, kindness and compassion.”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. The name Srebrenica has become synonymous with those dark days in July 1995 when, in the first ever United Nations declared safe area, over 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were systematically murdered and buried in mass graves.
Every year, Remembering Srebrenica selects a theme that reflects an aspect of the genocide that must be commemorated, but also speaks to communities here in the UK. The theme for 2025 is ‘Remember Yesterday, Act Today’.
At the heart of this is a clear message about the importance of reflective remembrance alongside proactive action to safeguard against intolerance and hatred.
To commemorate Srebrenica Memorial Day 2025, some of Cumberland Council’s buildings are lit green. A pop-up display charting the history and purpose of Srebrenica National Memorial Day is also on display in Whitehaven Library until Friday 11 July.
A series of school assemblies have been organised within the Cumberland area and are being led by Dr Tony Foody from Keswick School. They will be held on the build-up to the international event which this year commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
At every school Dr Foody visits, he will give them each a Srebrenica flower. These are hand-crafted by The Mothers of Srebrenica, who are survivors of the genocide. The 11 petals on the flower represent the 11 July, the date the genocide took place. The white represents the innocence of the victims and green, hope for the future. Remembering Srebrenica is committed to educating young people about the Srebrenica genocide and the valuable lessons that we must learn for our own communities.
They have developed a range of free resources which are available for free download, explore the links below to find the resources that would best suit your needs. These are available at https://srebrenica.org.uk/learn
View our video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdiBIMxmnIc