Oxford to mark Srebrenica Memorial Day with a service of reflection

Srebrenica Memorial Day is the international day to honour the victims and survivors of the Srebrenica genocide, which saw thousands of men and boys killed in a single day on 12 July 1995 during the Bosnian war.

The service will take place in Oxford Town Hall from 11am on Monday (11/7). It will be led by the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor James Fry.

The service is open to members of the public.

The order of service will be:

• Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor James Fry, to give a welcome speech
• Councillor Susanna Pressel, Chair of Oxfordshire County Council, to read a poem: Splendour of Truth by Mirsad Solaković
• Lighting of remembrance candles
• Councillor Shaista Aziz, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Communities and Culture, to say a reflection
• Pledges
• Reverend Anthony Buckley, City Rector of Oxford, to say a prayer
• Imam Monawar Hussain, Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, to say a closing prayer

The theme of this year’s Srebrenica Memorial Day is ‘Combatting Denial: Challenging Hatred’. The theme seeks to shine a light on the importance of combatting the denial of genocides, and the need to confront the hatred behind the denial.

For more information visit the Srebrenica Memorial Day website.

Comment

"Every year we take part in Srebrenica Memorial Day to remember those killed and reaffirm our commitment to standing up against all forms of hatred and prejudice. We must never forget the genocide that took place in Srebrenica, and in 2022, with Russia indiscriminately killing thousands of Ukrainians, that feels more important than ever."

Councillor James Fry, the Lord Mayor of Oxford