DODIK: THREE NEVESINJE UPRISINGS ARE CONFIRMATION THAT SERBIAN PEOPLE HAVE NEVER AGREED AND WILL NEVER AGREE TO BE SERVANTS TO OCCUPIERS

BANJA LUKA, JULY 8 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has said that the Serbian people of Hercegovina and Nevesinje have three times in the past century and a half been the only people in Europe to rise up against much stronger enemies: occupiers, colonizers, and conquerors, and each time emerged victorious.

"The three Nevesinje Rifles, three Serbian uprisings, are a pride not only of Nevesinje and Hercegovina but of the entire Serbian people. The Serbian people of this small yet great and heroic local community have always been characterized by courage, patriotism, and loyalty to the homeland. Heroes of this region dared to stand against the greatest world powers - in 1875 against the Ottoman Empire, in 1882 against Austria-Hungary, and in 1941 against the fascist invasion," Dodik told SRNA on the occasion of commemorating 149 years since the beginning of uprisings in Hercegovina. He emphasized that these uprisings of the people from Nevesinje confirm that the Serbian people have never agreed and will never agree to be servants to colonizers and occupiers, no matter how superior and powerful they may be. "Here, I must quote lines from the movie 'Battle of Kosovo,' spoken by actor Miloš Žutić as Tsar Lazar, which best describe the Serbian people: 'I do not decide whether I will go into battle based on the strength that threatens me, but based on the sanctity I defend!' That was the case two centuries ago, it was the case yesterday, it is the case today, and it will be the case tomorrow. That is the Serbian people who, though numerically small, boldly, courageously, and proudly rise up despite difficult circumstances to defend their homes, their families, their homeland, and stand against stronger and larger enemies," emphasized the Republika Srpska President. He has said that the Serbian people possess a gene bestowed by God, known as Serbian stubbornness /"inat"/, which, he said, some may view positively and others negatively. "Nevertheless, I believe that Serbian 'inat' is our virtue, and if we direct it in the right direction, we are capable of achieving miracles. Therefore, whenever we are attacked, whenever they try to trample us down, this stubbornness ignites within us, and we are ready to confront any force. Furthermore, if we were united, which unfortunately is rare, especially in challenging and crucial times for the Serbian people, we could accomplish anything together, because unity and solidarity build homes, cities, and homelands. Our division has often cost us dearly, and it still does today. There would be fewer casualties and we would be a tougher prey if we were united," Dodik pointed out. He has said that the Serbian people are the most suffering nation, and this should be constantly emphasized in all places - Nevesinje, Prebilovci, Garavice, Bradina, Stari Brod, Podrinje, Bratunac, Kozara, Romanija, especially today when they persistently try to label us as genocidal. "No falsified data, no questionable resolutions, not even the UN can help them. We are a people who have also given freedom to others, as evidenced by the fact that after the First Nevesinje Rifle, the people of Nevesinje showed their commitment to freedom with a new uprising and rebellion in 1882, when, embittered by the outcome of the agreements of the great world powers, they showed the new occupier, Austria-Hungary, that they would not allow it to put a yoke around their neck. This was followed by a third uprising on June 3, 1941, which, again, was the first one against the fascist invasion," Dodik recalled. He has said that a nation which has risen against great powers to bring freedom, while others humbly applauded every arrival of occupiers and foreigners and threw flowers at their feet, cannot be genocidal or aggressor. "Our ancestors never, in previous wars or in the recent Defense-Patriotic War, attacked and conquered others; they only defended their own. The Serbian people have never sacrificed peace, but they have never accepted anyone's torture or the erasure of traces of our existence. Our only goal is to live freely, in peace, to build and develop, but without a foreign boot at our necks," emphasized the Republika Srpska President. He emphasized that the Serbian people can be an example to everyone on how to defend, fight, and preserve dignity. "Even today, for the sake of our ancestors, we must not and will not succumb to blackmail, threats, and sanctions. We stand on our own ground, we do not attack anyone, but we will not surrender what is ours, and we will not allow ourselves to be demonized, expelled, or destroyed. The era of migrations, Čarnojević's times, 'Operation Storm,' and ethnic cleansing is over," said Dodik. The Republika Srpska President stressed that these dates, along with many others, must remind us every day of who we are and what we are, and that we must know our history. Only in this way can we repay our debt to all our ancestors for the freedom we enjoy today. "Remembrance is the greatest gratitude to them. Not a single fallen Serb, not a child, woman, elderly person, not a single fighter or soldier, should ever be forgotten, and future generations must learn and know their history to have a brighter and better future," concluded President Milorad Dodik. He announced that next year, when 150 years since the uprisings in Nevesinje and Herzegovina will be marked, this historically significant date will be commemorated even more grandly, proudly, and dignifiedly. The 149th anniversary of the uprisings in Herzegovina, known as the First, Second, and Third Nevesinje Rifle, will be commemorated tomorrow in Nevesinje. The First Nevesinje Rifle marked the beginning of the uprising in Krekovi, Nevesinje municipality, on July 9, 1875, against the Ottoman rule. The Second, known as the Uloški Uprising, occurred in 1878 against the Austro-Hungarian occupiers. The Third Nevesinje Anti-Fascist Rifle represents the armed resistance of the Serbian people in Herzegovina against the Independent State of Croatia /NDH/. The commemoration of this significant historical event in Nevesinje is organized by committees of the governments of Republika Srpska and Serbia dedicated to preserving the traditions of liberation wars.