
UN apologizes for Serb nationalist song ovation
By By Peter James Spielmann
Topics: From the Wires, News
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations apologized Thursday for the ovation given to a militant Serb nationalist song performed at a concert honoring Serbia’s presidency of the U.N. General Assembly, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman said.
Martin Nesirky said that “the United Nations was aware that some people were offended by the song “March to the Drina,” sung in the General Assembly hall Monday night. Ban afterward stood at the podium alongside Vuk Jeremic, the former Serbian foreign minister and current assembly president, for a photo with the performers, the Belgrade vocal group Viva Vox.
Ban “expressed sincere regret that people were offended by this song,” Nesirky said, adding that the U.N. chief “obviously was not aware what the song was about or the use that has been made of it in the past.”
“March to the Drina,” was originally written as a nationalist hymn after World War I, about a battle on the Drina River that now separates Serbia and Bosnia. It features lyrics such as “The battle was fought, Near cold water, Blood was flowing, Blood was streaming by the Drina… for Freedom!”
It became a favorite of Serb nationalists, and was banned by Yugoslavia’s Communist government after World War II. It was reportedly sung in the 1990s during Serb attacks on Bosnian towns along the Drina River.
After the Yugoslav wars of secession, Serbs voted in 1992 to make it their national anthem. Serbia’s parliament bypassed it as being too provocative and adopted an old song from the country’s royalist period instead.
“March on the Drina” was added to the U.N. concert as an encore, and delighted the crowd, which was mostly unaware of its connotations.
Jeremic released a statement later Thursday saying “some outrageous claims have been put forward.”
“With solemn respect for all the victims of the wars in the former Yugoslavia, these malicious misinterpretations of the song performed as an encore … focus on its alleged misuses during the tragic conflicts. They represent regrettable attempts at twisting the meaning of our musical gift offered to the world last Monday and are deeply offensive to the Serbian people,” Jeremic said.
Meanwhile, the Congress of North American Bosniaks said: “The concert is a scandalous insult to the victims of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina because the orchestra played the infamous and offensive Serb nationalist song ‘March on the River Drina.’”
It called on the United Nations to “remove Vuk Jeremic from his position as the President of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly.”
You Might Also Like
More Related Stories
-
Five easy steps for becoming a rape apologist
-
How Obamacare shortchanges low-wage workers
-
Hackers replace Brazil World Cup website with protest footage
-
Billion-dollar bioterror detection program under new scrutiny
-
GOP's war on women has a new face: Marsha Blackburn
-
War against Issa heats up, as Cummings releases IRS transcript
-
São Paulo anchors Brazilian protests
-
No, Brazilian riots are not an "overreaction" to fare hikes
-
Hacktivists strike north of the border
-
House hearing in celebration of NSA spying
-
Texas councilwoman outraged over billboard featuring gay couple
-
Miss Utah gives wonderfully succinct answer to question about women and work
-
GOP lawmaker: Extreme abortion ban justified because of masturbating fetuses
-
US begins peace talks with Taliban
-
Ray Kelly, who oversaw secret Muslim spying, slams NSA secrecy
-
Reputed Mafia captain tip behind new Hoffa body search
-
Gitmo "indefinite detainees" revealed
-
Pentagon to begin training women for elite combat roles by 2015
-
Unions give boost to Turkish protest movement
-
Charles Saatchi cautioned over assault on wife
-
Protests explode across Brazil
Featured Slide Shows
Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)
close X- Share on Twitter
- Share on Facebook
- Thumbnails
- Fullscreen
- 1 of 11
- Previous
- Next
-
The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.
-
In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.
-
This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.
-
Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.
-
An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.
-
Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.
-
Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.
-
People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.
-
On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.
-
The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.
-
Recent Slide Shows
-
Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)
-
The week in 10 pics
-
Photos: Turmoil and tear gas in Instanbul's Gezi Park - Slideshow
-
10 summer food festivals worth the pit stop
-
- Share on Twitter
- Share on Facebook
- Thumbnails
- Fullscreen
- 1 of 11
- Previous
- Next
-
The week in 10 pics
-
10 summer food festivals worth the pit stop
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
9 amazing drive-in movie theaters still standing
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
Netflix's April Fools' Day categories
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
Related Videos
More Related Stories
-
Five easy steps for becoming a rape apologist
-
How Obamacare shortchanges low-wage workers
-
Hackers replace Brazil World Cup website with protest footage
-
Billion-dollar bioterror detection program under new scrutiny
-
GOP's war on women has a new face: Marsha Blackburn
-
War against Issa heats up, as Cummings releases IRS transcript
-
São Paulo anchors Brazilian protests
-
No, Brazilian riots are not an "overreaction" to fare hikes
-
Hacktivists strike north of the border
-
House hearing in celebration of NSA spying
-
Texas councilwoman outraged over billboard featuring gay couple
-
Miss Utah gives wonderfully succinct answer to question about women and work
-
GOP lawmaker: Extreme abortion ban justified because of masturbating fetuses
-
US begins peace talks with Taliban
-
Ray Kelly, who oversaw secret Muslim spying, slams NSA secrecy
-
Reputed Mafia captain tip behind new Hoffa body search
-
Gitmo "indefinite detainees" revealed
-
Pentagon to begin training women for elite combat roles by 2015
-
Unions give boost to Turkish protest movement
-
Charles Saatchi cautioned over assault on wife
-
Protests explode across Brazil
Most Read
-
Why Sarah Palin actually matters again Joan Walsh
-
GOP plan to appeal to millennials: "Make abortion funny" Alex Seitz-Wald
-
Why didn't anyone help? Mary Elizabeth Williams
-
Lynda Obst: Hollywood's completely broken Lynda Obst
-
To my daughter on Father's Day: Sorry I used to be a sexist Mo Elleithee
-
Rahm Emanuel is losing control of his city Mark Guarino
-
The best of Tumblr porn Tracy Clark-Flory
-
TSA agent allegedly tells teenage girl to "cover herself" Mary Elizabeth Williams
-
Museum that discriminates against people says it is being discriminated against Katie Mcdonough
-
Study: Reading novels makes us better thinkers Tom Jacobs, Pacific Standard

Popular on Reddit
links from salon.com

3000 points3001 points3002 points | 442 comments

275 points276 points277 points | 6 comments

58 points59 points60 points | 20 comments


Comments
0 Comments