Abstract

The denial of the 1995 genocide against Bosniaks in the UN security zone of Srebrenica, has continued uninterrupted for 25 years. This denial has taken various forms and manifestations during that time; from denying the extent and character of crimes and the number of victims, to not accepting relevant court verdicts and especially, ignoring the consequences of genocide. As time passes, we are beginning to get the impression that an additional phase to the denial of the genocide in Srebrenica has emerged, in which, through the glorification of convicted war criminals and their affirmation in society, genocide is affirmed as an acceptable procedure and activity.
 We believe that this 25-year period of persistent denial, and even celebration of the genocide in Srebrenica, largely corresponds to the strengthening of neo-fascist and right-wing ideas and movements in European countries, which has been accompanied by an increasingly louder denial and relativization of the Holocaust.
 In this paper, we intend to analyze the connection between these phenomena, because we believe that the ideas pedaled by deniers of the genocide in Srebrenica, are significantly suited to strengthening the neo-fascism and Holocaust denial and are using this atmosphere to intensify genocide denial against Bosniaks and yet paradoxically, affirm the genocide, by glorifying the convicted war criminals and their ideas.

Highlights

  • The living experience of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and the inadequate sanctioning of perpetrators of genocide, requires caution and constant re-examination of the social conditions that enable such a situation

  • We are beginning to get the impression that an additional phase to the denial of the genocide in Srebrenica has emerged, in which, through the glorification of convicted war criminals and their affirmation in society, genocide is affirmed as an acceptable procedure and activity

  • We intend to analyze the connection between these phenomena, because we believe that the ideas pedaled by deniers of the genocide in Srebrenica, are significantly suited to strengthening the neo-fascism and Holocaust denial and are using this atmosphere to intensify genocide denial against Bosniaks and yet paradoxically, affirm the genocide, by glorifying the convicted war criminals and their ideas

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Summary

Introduction

The living experience of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and the inadequate sanctioning of perpetrators (and deniers) of genocide, requires caution and constant re-examination of the social conditions that enable such a situation. Xenophobia is justified by preserving identity, fighting migrants, preserving jobs for domestic workers, genocide is called a “great crime”, and concentration camps are the “fruit of propaganda”.10 This way of new speech is characteristic for ideologies where, instead of the correct characterization of things, there are shifts of meaning, generality, allegories, metaphors, etc., Deceit and concealment of real intentions are used, as noted by Umberto Eco in his essay on Ur-Fascism. Machismo, selective qualitative populism, and the use of new forms speech.[14] To this should certainly be added the characteristics of the modern extreme right as portrayed by Nikola Vukobratović and Mario Šimunković in the review titled “Right Extremism”, which are: advocating division, spreading of hatred, a desire for strict forms of ‘law and order’; anti-communism, and nationalism.[15] Most of these characteristics can be observed in the neo-fascist and right-wing movements in the former Yugoslavia, who have inherited the ideology of those who committed genocide against Bosniaks. 21 Salvatore, Valentino, (27-05-2011), Borghezio, “Mladic patriota, serbi potevano fermare islam”, https://blog.uaar.it/2011/05/27/borghezio-mladic-patriota-serbi-potevano-fermare-islam/

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