OSTOJIĆ: BURNING OF THE SERBIAN FLAG NEAR OTOČAC - AN ACT OF HATE TOWARDS EVERYTHING SERBIAN

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 5 /SRNA/ - The Minister of Labor and Veterans-Disability Protection of Republika Srpska, Radan Ostojić, strongly condemned the shameful and unacceptable act of burning the Serbian flag ahead of the commemoration of the anniversary of the criminal military-police operation "Storm" in Croatia near Otočac, assessing that it is an open manifestation of hatred towards the Serb people and everything they represent.

"The fact that such an act is happening in the days when the Serb people prayerfully and with dignity commemorate the memory of one of the greatest sufferings and exoduses in their recent history is particularly concerning," Ostojić stated. According to him, the burning of the Serbian flag represents a conscious and unacceptable provocation that deeply offends the feelings of the exiled, the families of the murdered, and all Serbs, wherever they may live. Ostojić pointed out that it is devastating that even more than three decades after "Storm," incidents glorifying intolerance towards the Serb people are tolerated or even encouraged in a part of Croatian society, instead of building an atmosphere of reconciliation and mutual respect, the Ministry announced. "We expect the competent institutions of the Republic of Croatia to identify and strictly sanction the perpetrators of this shameful act without delay," Ostojić said. Silence or the relativization of such events, he emphasized, encourages extremism and sends a dangerous message that hatred and the desecration of national symbols are acceptable. Ostojić stated that Republika Srpska will continue to preserve the memory of the innocent victims and exiled Serbs, to defend the dignity of its people, and to strongly oppose any form of hatred, desecration of national symbols, and revision of historical facts. "Peace is not built by burning flags, but by respecting the victims, the truth, and the dignity of every nation. That is why such actions deserve the unequivocal condemnation of the entire public," Ostojić concluded. The Croatian portal "Index" published a video showing two people dressed in black with covered faces burning the flag of the Republic of Serbia on an overpass near Otočac.