KIRKCALDY and Cowdenbeath MP, Neale Hanvey, joined hundreds of others across Scotland in marking Srebrenica Memorial Day.

The local MP has planted a tree in his garden in an act of remembrance, following calls from the charity, Remembering Srebrenica, urging people in Scotland to meet the challenge that Covid-19 has presented and come up with alternative ways to ensure that the 25th anniversary of the genocide can be marked.

Almost 8,400 mainly Bosnian Muslim men and boys were murdered in the town by Serb forces on July 11, 1995, during the Bosnian war. This act of genocide has been described as the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War and the Srebrenica Memorial Week runs from July 5 to July 12.

Commenting, Neale Hanvey MP said: “It is important to mark the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, in remembrance of those that lost their lives, but also as a clear message that this must never happen again.

“Obviously, the restrictions imposed to reduce the spread of coronavirus have impacted plans this year and the folk at Remembering Srebrenica have done a fantastic job of suggesting novel ways for people to pay their respects".

He added: “It is fitting that the 25th anniversary comes at this moment, as we reflect on racial prejudice and injustice around the world prompted by events in America.

“It is incumbent on us to state clearly that diversity is something to be celebrated and protected – that communities made up of people of different races, faiths, and nationalities are all the stronger for their diversity.”