West Northamptonshire to remember Srebrenica Genocide

04 July 2024

A ceremony of remembrance to honour the victims of the Srebrenica genocide on its 29th anniversary will take place on Thursday, 11 July, at 10.45am in the Guildhall courtyard on St Giles’ Square in Northampton.

People are invited to join representatives from West Northamptonshire Council, the Lord-Lieutenants office, Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Diverse Communities Forum and others, to hear speeches and observe a one-minute silence at 11am, in honour of the 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys who were massacred in Srebrenica, Bosnia, in July 1995.

The service will be followed by refreshments served in the Court Room.

The Srebrenica flag will also be raised at each of West Northamptonshire Council’s main offices in Daventry, Northampton and Towcester and candles of remembrance lit to mark the occasion.

The day of remembrance is part of the Srebrenica Memorial Week, which runs from 12 to 19 July, with this year’s theme ‘I Am Because You Are’ underlining the importance of standing up against those who try to divide us and standing up for each other against hatred, discrimination, harassment or prejudice. 

It will also help empower everyone in our communities to understand the importance of interconnectedness to help build a safer, stronger, and more cohesive society for all. 

United Nations member states recently voted to declare 11 July an annual day of remembrance for victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

Northamptonshire Police is committed to challenging all forms of hatred, prejudice and intolerance within communities. Anyone who has experienced a hate crime or incident is encouraged to report it to the police by calling 101.

More information about this year’s theme and the memorial week can be found on the Remembering Srebrenica website.