Source: https://priznajem.hr/novosti/sda-trazi- ... ta/197555/

Translation from Croatian is courtesy of Google...



SDA demands the removal of Croatian flags - FROM PRIVATE LANDS!

The leading Bosniak party SDA requested the removal of publicly displayed flags of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the municipality of Novi Travnik in central Bosnia, which the local mayor Stjepan Dujo assessed on Wednesday as an expression of hatred and denial of the identity of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Along the main road in the municipality of Novi Travnik, poles with the flags of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been placed in several places, which are located mostly on private land. This bothered the local Bosniak SDA, which requested that the Municipal Council order the HDZ BiH leader Stjepan Duja to remove the Croatian flags.

Mayor Dujo points out that this move represents a deliberate increase in tension between Croats and Bosniaks.

"This is a misunderstanding of BiH as a state of three constituent nations, and hatred towards others and their identities, such as in this case the expression of hatred from the SDA towards the Croatian people in BiH and the identity of the Croatian people in BiH", said Dujo in an interview for the portal Diary from Mostar.

"We are talking about flagpoles with the flags of the Croatian people placed in several places, i.e. along roads on mostly private land. For BiH, nothing unusual and I believe not even malicious. In addition to being populist, I would also call the conclusion absolutely wrong considering that it is not the competence of the mayor. However, apart from technical failures, what particularly worries me and is actually the reason for convening this press conference, is the concern about the political direction in which this municipality is going", said Dujo.

"At least we corrected some injustices and tried to distribute all investments at least approximately equally, that is, to invest in all areas of our municipality. That's why I'm even more saddened by these efforts to return to some status of a "city of chance", a city of national bigotry, which, I'm sure, the residents of my municipality really don't want. In fact, on the contrary, with positive projects, enthusiasm of "ordinary people", new projects, ideas, we spread a positive image of our city and gained some new official friendships and re-actualized the ones already established", said Dujo, saying that his position is clear and he described it with the election slogan "A place for everything".

"There is no such flag that will shake me on that road. I know very well who I am and what I am, but while I am in this position, I am the leader of all citizens and I do not intend to 'climb the flags' and take down anyone's flags, especially not those that do not offend anyone. These topics have been and will be, and I am ready to talk about everything, including them, but within the walls of this Municipality and not in this populist way, which is not in accordance with the Council's rules of procedure. As a young man who wants to live here, I am convinced that these topics only further denigrate the lives of people in these areas. The fight for and in the name of the flag has already brought us so much evil, so much division, and there is no need to return to that era. After all, the structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina is complex. The fact is that Croats, Bosniaks, Serbs and everyone else with all their identities live in it,

He did not rule out the possibility that it was the leading Bosniak political party that inspired numerous earlier incidents, attacks on Croats, flags and memorials in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The author of the article fails to detail where the "private property" is in fact located. Directly next to the freeway, on flagpoles whose altitude gives the impression that they were placed there by a public institution.
Not to mention that the flag in question is not the flag of the croatian state, but that of the former croat separatistic Herceg-Bosnia, under which tousands of people of non-croatian descent where killed, tortured and taken to camps. It is shameful to put such a terorist flag on the main road leading to one of the few remaining mutli-ethinc towns in the country, where Croats don't even make up half of the population.

This is example of radical islamism. "Town is multiethnic so croatian flags and everything croatian must be destroyed"
Last time muslims tryed to cut down croat flags had 50,000 Shehids. Let them try again.

First of all, i'd like you to maybe consider a class where you could refresh your knowledge of the English language. It is really hard to understand you properly.

Well, i think it is very reasonable to ask the owners of the land in question to stop hissing flags of exclusively one ethnic group on prominent places. It gives the impression that Novi Travnik is a town only inhabited by Croats, which is not the case. It in fact deters the multi-ethnic character of the city.
It would be like Mexicans hissing mexican flags along the freeway on the entry to a californian town.

I don't have anything against croatian flags. A good compromise would be to place flags of both peoples on such a prominent place, to stress the brotherhood of the two peoples living in the city. But since such a thing is very unlike to happen, i think the proposal to not hiss any flags at all is reasonable.

Let me guess, u dont have problem with muslim flags in multiethnic or even croatian or serb majority towns? Am i right?

There is no compromise. U couldnt take down those flags in war and u wont be able to take them down peacefully now.

BiH is multiethnic country and that means that sacred symbols of every nation inside it must be respected. Muslims dont respect anything. They want muslim flags everywhere and in same time dont want other flags. Your post is good example of that.

To battle, go forth you heroes,
Go on and don't regret your lives

Honestly, i have a problem with hissing too much flags in general.
In western countries like Germany or Austria, you rarely see a flag on houses, roads etc. It makes us appear as yokels who have their ethnic identity wherever they go.

Though i don't know what you mean with "muslim flags". I didn't see any flags of Morocco or Algeria in Bosnia.

I don't know why you are trying to call innocent people to go to war?

Ok, so, i could buy a piece of land in, let's say, Široki Brijeg (town with a croat population of about 99,99%), and just hiss a flag of the republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, since i perceive it as a part of my national identity?

You can if u live there. In many towns where Croats are 95% population there is muslims flags, specially near mosques. Noone touches them. But muslims constantly destroying churches, graveyards, want ban flags etc. Luckly u are dissapearing from BiH at alarming rate do to emigration.

Then hiss at Muslim flags, not only on other people's sacred flags.

To battle, To battle
Let enemy know how we die.

Could you please give me an example?

I asked you for a photo of a 99% croatian town where bosniak flaggs are hissed.

7days ban.

One more time, letiš k'o kofer sa foruma.

That`s not true. On the way to the kindergarten (where I take my child) in one great German city, I see every day a Danish flag hissing at one of the balconies along the street. In my neighborhood flutters a Polish flag frequently.
In many German cities you can see a lot of international flags on windows and balconies & that isn't unusually at all. Only for Bosnian Muslims it poses a problem, because they live in hatred.

The problem here is your hypocrisy. The croatian flag as such is not a problem. The problem is that a Bosniak in any majority- Croat place would be lynched if he raised the flag that was raised back in 1992 in front of the UN, the flag that has the coat of arms of an allegedly croatian king on it.111

What hipocrisy? Novi Travnik is an ethnically mixed municipality. The flags of Bosnian Muslimas also flutter in the ethnically mixed municipalities - Stolac for instance.

You can go anywhere in the United States and see the same thing.

The problem is that people in Sarajevo want to strip Croatians of their identity and reduce them to a religious minority. That's why puppets like Željko Komšić keep getting elected. Sarajevo wants to dictate to the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and tell them what is best for them.

Interesting point however you misunderstand the use of such a flag. This flag is the legal flag for Croats in BiH, not just HZHB. That being said, it is the official flag for Canton 10 and West Hercegovina as well as for Croats all over the country. In areas where Croat governments are elected by Croat people, they have the right to utilize this flag. Calling our flag as a terrorist flag as you did is a clear provocation and I would like you to revise your opinion on here and be more respectful to the Croats, me personally would not tear down the Ljiljan in areas which Bosniaks live.

Croats are much more than half the population of Novi Travnik which again goes against your earlier claim and SDA has no authority to take down flags in a municipality in which they do not control. Croats have the rights to display their flag wherever they please likewise do Bosniaks if they have residence in such areas. Such is why Croats in Usora and Zepce are allowed to be proud of their ethnicity for instance. You could argue that Bosniaks in Republika Srpska are oppressed, in which I will agree with you but such is irrelevant in this debate. I am trying to write you a more pragmatic message considering those which responded to you seemed relatively hostile. Croats and Bosniaks should be trying to understand each other but unfortunately Croats are the most misunderstood people which is why we are completely ostracized politically all over the country.

This is a great point, as in the United States it is extremely common for people to display the flag of their origin. Completely overlooked by Bosniaks here, not to mention the fact that the countries provided as examples for not displaying flags of ethnic minorities are relatively ethnically homogenous.

Terrible point. Croats in the HVO used the Ljiljan very frequently, they just preferred the ethnic flag. In Vitez, PPN Jokery paraded through the streets with a Ljiljan flag.