20 years ago, the world experienced NATO aggression against Yugoslavia. It began with the lie of “genocide in the Balkans”. The German Foreign Minister even wanted to prevent a “new Auschwitz”. In fact, there were violent tensions in the Balkans after the Federal Republic of Germany in particular had supported all separatist efforts in former Yugoslavia regardless of the political consequences.
However, instead of working for peace and stability in the region, NATO planes bombed the Serbian capital Belgrade on 24 March 1999 without a mandate from the United Nations Security Council and without an official declaration of war. It was also the first war of aggression by a German army since 1945.
The attacks were directed less against military facilities than against the country’s infrastructure. Numerous civilians were killed during the bombardments. The symbols of this war in Serbia until today are the ruins of the building of the Yugoslav radio station in the center of Belgrade and the bridge of Vavarin.
On this occasion, the Serbian Veterans Association SUBNOR sent the following message to the FIR and its member associations:
“We remind to a sad fact that close to 3,000 persons were killed in that criminal action, among them more then 30 children. Almost the entire infrastructure was destroyed: bombs with depleted uranium, schools, hospital, bridges, kindergartens, power grid, and complete housing blocks.
Not even now, two decades later, we cannot comprehend how someone so mighty and united, could resolve to take such a reckless step.
SUBNOR of Serbia shall, as all of our people, mark with sorrow the days when “democratic and civilized united organizations” was seeding death in one of the oldest European states.
We consider FIR as a hub of antifascism at this difficult moment, not only for us, should announce its moral support so that such a brutal attack would never and nowhere happened again.
We will be grateful to you, convinced that peace must prevail everywhere and for any price, in the interest of humanity. We are already paying the price due to the tons of deadly Uranium with endless consequences.”
FIR as international umbrella organization of veterans and antifascists of today welcomes this appeal of SUBNOR and will continue its peace policy in this sense.
