Citizens of Sarajevo Demand Sanctions for the Organized Violence during QSF

A group of permanent and temporary citizens of Sarajevo submitted yesterday, October 29, a protest letter to the Ministry of Interior of the Canton of Sarajevo and Police Commissioner Himzo Selimović, on the developments during and after the First Sarajevo Queer Festival and the unfortunate events during and after the Festival opening ceremony that continued until the prematurely forced conclusion. The signatories demand from the Ministry of Interior to sanction all those responsible for the organized violence during and after QSF, as well as those members of the Police that allowed, through incompetent and inept actions, for violence to erupt. The signatories, locals and foreign citizens on temporary stay in Sarajevo, were all present to witness the xenophobic, racist and fascist campaign directed against the Festival and its organizers, from the moment it was announced to the opening ceremony. - The campaign was supported by hate-inciting statements by party and government officials, religious dignitaries, and medical practitioners, whom we condemn and who should resign from their positions, say the signatories of the protest letter. - We have noted evident omissions in police treatment of the Festival, both during the preparatory activities and at the opening night. In spite of numerous threats, xenophobic instances of public hate-speech and calls for lynch of the organizers, the Police did nothing to prevent them and apprehend and sanction those responsible for the posters calling for the death of members of LGBTQI population – says the Protest letter. The signatories note that there were only six members of the uniformed police in front of the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo at the end of the opening ceremony, and that reinforcements arrived only after the hooligans and Vehabi radicals attacked and injured several persons, including one policeman. The letter states that the lack of proper action to secure a safe perimeter and the fact that the hooligans were allowed to approach the very entrance of the Academy building brings about suspicions that the Police wasn`t, in fact upholding the Law that night and sided with those who attacked the Festival participants and organizers, for which it holds full responsibility. The letter has also been submitted to Vicenco Coppola, the head of EU Police Mission to BiH and to OHR Miroslav Lajčak, who have certain competences as high international authorities in the country, and should act in accordance to European Parliament`s concerns regarding the civil rights of LGBTQI population, its condemnation of the violent events surrounding QSF and the demand from national and international authorities to secure full observance of rights of sexual minorities in BiH. The signatories of the letter were also appalled by the indifference of the majority of citizens of Sarajevo and BiH who, in their view, thus sided with violence, xenophobia and fascism and gave their silent approval to violence, willingly leaving their own city to be the realm of hooligans, religious fanatics and other fascist groups.