KEIGHLEY members of a delegation to Bosnia have been inspired by meeting survivors of the Srebrenica genocide.

Cllr Adrian Farley co-led the delegation to mark next year’s 20th anniversary of the massacre.

He and fellow Bradford councillor Alex Ross-Shaw took along representatives from several organisations, including Keighley Racial Justice Network, and students from University Academy Keighley (UAK).

They met the Mothers of Srebrenica, survivors of the genocide who lost sons and loved ones, and have campaigned for the UN and Dutch governments to acknowledge their failures in preventing the massacre.

The women also help other survivors return to their homes in Srebrenica.

Cllr Farley said: “This was my second visit to Bosnia, and it was a huge honour to be able to lead this delegation with my colleague and friend, Cllr Ross-Shaw.

“Nothing can prepare you for the mix of emotions you experience visiting Srebrenica, in particular meeting the mothers who lost their husbands and sons in such tragic circumstances.

“The genocide that took place in 1995 is a huge reminder as to what can happen when tolerance is shunned and division is allowed.”

Zieshan Ali Ahmed, a student at UAK, said it was a “truly amazing experience to visit such a beautiful country as Bosnia and hear the stories of survivors”.

Fellow UAK student Fahin Azhar Uddin said: “Visiting the International Commission on Missing Persons, in Sarajevo and Tuzla, to learn about the difficult, painstaking but ultimately successful work in identifying the victims buried in mass graves was incredibly informative.”

Penny Wangari-Jones, from Keighley’s Racial Justice Network, said that in many ways Bosnia was like Yorkshire – a multi-ethnic and multi-faith society.

She added: “People had lived side by side for centuries, and it only took a few evil people to throw it all away.

“I will remind my community of this when I hear messages of hatred and difference being passed along.

“It was upsetting to hear first-hand the stories of so many people who lived through the genocide, but their peaceful and brave response shows how we can fight racism at home too.

“I’ll be using the lessons of Srebrenica in my work at the Racial Justice Network because we need to understand what occurred and never let it happen again.”

The group also visited photographer Tarik Samarah to view his photos of the genocide, and had dinner with human rights lecturer Sasa Madacki.