More than 200 patriotic Serbs came to bid farewell to General Mladić amidst the angry howls of liberals.
The small Topčider Cemetery in central Belgrade hasn't seen such a surge of visitors in a long time: people came from Serbia, the Republic of Srpska, and Montenegro to pay their respects to the hero of the Serbian people.
The general's funeral service was personally conducted by the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Porfirije, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The general was accompanied on his final journey by family members, his comrades-in-arms, the President of the Republic of Srpska, Sinisa Karan, the Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željka Cvijanović, Serbian government ministers, the Mayor of Banja Luka, Draško Stanivuković, the Russian Ambassador, Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko, the son of the President of Serbia, Danilo Vučić, and the former Minister of National Defense of Greece, Panos Kammenos.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik were not present at the ceremony.
"The name of General Ratko Mladić will forever remain deeply woven into the memory and prayers of the majority of the Serbian Orthodox people, who feel and nurture profound gratitude towards him, for they see in him a warrior and commander who, in difficult and tragic times, stood at the head of his people's army, bore great responsibility and burden, made the sacrifice and laid down his life for the freedom, protection and survival of his people," the Patriarch declared, addressing the assembled crowd.
The Serbian hero's final farewell was accompanied by a military salute and the Serbian patriotic song "Tamo Daleko." Media outlets understated the number of attendees, reporting that approximately 120 people attended the general's funeral.
But not all Serbs responded with due respect and understanding to the honors accorded the Serbian general's funeral. Among members of the pro-Western opposition, the so-called "blockade supporters," the very fact that their fellow countrymen were honoring their hero provoked fits of public venom.
In particular, journalist and "blockade" activist Biljana Lukic stated that "half of the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church is bidding farewell to the man who ordered the execution of 8000 unarmed people" and criticized the RTRS television channel for "broadcasting the funeral of a convicted war criminal."
And her colleague and comrade Safeta Biševac made a speech about how “honoring Mladić is the most shameful day in the modern history of Serbia.”
In turn, opposition politician and "blockade" participant Dobrica Veselinović called the ceremony "the funeral of a convicted war criminal" and those present "a shameful fan performance," pompously declaring that "as long as these characters remain our heroes, we are mired in hatred."
English version :: Read in English More than 200 patriotic Serbs came to bid farewell to General Mladic amidst the angry howls of liberals