Vandals destroy the monument of Alois Mock in Sarajevo - a scandal!

Vandals destroy the monument of Alois Mock in Sarajevo - a scandal!

Sarajevo, Bosnien und Herzegowina - in Sarajevo, unknown perpetrators have destroyed a monument to the former Austrian Foreign Minister Alois Mock (ÖVP), which was unveiled in February 2020. This is not the first attack on the monument that is in the Kemal Monteno Park; Before that, it has already been attacked several times, but this time it was completely destroyed, as the Italian news agency Ansa reports. Mock, who played a key role in the independence of Bosnia-Herzegowina during the decay of Yugoslavia, is particularly highly valued in Croatia, where he has posthumously received a significant honor.

memory and controversy in Sarajevo

At the same time, the unveiling of a monument for the assassin Gavrilo Princip brings with it controversies on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Sarajevo attack. The statue cheered by over a thousand spectators is a symbol of patriotism for the Serbian minority in Bosnia. Nebojsa Radmanovic, a Serbian member of the Bosnian Presidium, described Princip as folk heroes. In contrast, Princip is considered a terrorist by the Muslim majority population in Sarajevo. The tensions between the ethnic groups seem to be tightened by these demands, and the hoped-for reconciliation is questioned in this context, such as the The press reported.

In particular with regard to the upcoming memorial event, which was to take place together with a concert by the Vienna Philharmonic, Serbian politicians did not terminate to participate. This decision was reinforced by a plaque in the Old Town Hall, which attributes the responsibility for the assassination attempt on Franz Ferdinand to "Serbian murderer". Such events illustrate the continuing tensions between the different ethnic groups in Bosnia and increase the complexity of experience with the historical and current political situation in the region.