Dodik Draws Protesters During US Speech

Many of the protesters said they had been denied entry to the event, held at Columbia University’s Low Library, even though they had signalled in advance that they wanted to come.

Dodik is the president of the Republika Srpska, a semi-autonomous entity which makes up almost 40 percent of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The event was sponsored by Columbia’s Harriman Institute, which promotes the study of the Balkans and East-Central Europe.

The protesters, most of whom were not affiliated with Columbia University, accused Dodik of denying that the Srebrenica massacre was a genocide. Dodik has acknowledged that the incident took place but has said it does not meet the definition of genocide, even though the International Court of Justice has said that it does.

Amra Dusimic, one of the protesters outside the event, said she would have liked the chance to question Dodik.

“I would have asked him what he’s been doing for the reconciliation process,” Dumisic said. “I would probably draw parallels between Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.”

Dusimic said she had sent an RSVP before the event and received a confirmation email but was turned away at the door.
Several other protesters said they were confirmed to attend as well, only to be notified earlier in the day or at Low Library that there would not be enough space for them.

Many of them speculated that their names were removed from the RSVP list based on their perceived ethnicities.

Nina Boe, one of the protesters, claimed that most of the people denied entry were either Bosniak—Bosnian Muslims—or had names that sounded Bosniak.

But Harriman Institute Director Timothy Frye said that the event was oversubscribed.

“I can assure you that the Harriman Institute would never discriminate against anyone who wanted entry to an event,” he said in an email.

“Mr. Dodik faced a number of difficult and hostile questions from the audience which suggests that the audience was diverse.”

Darko Trifunovic, a professor at the University of Belgrade who was traveling with Dodik, speculated that the protesters were not allowed into the event for security reasons.

“There was a war in Bosnia,” he said, referring to ethnic fighting between Serbs, Bosnians, and Croats. “The tensions are high.”

Boe helped bring together the loosely organized protesters, who had planned to hold up signs during the speech while Dodik spoke. One sign read “Dodik, here’s an idea—1. Leave Politics. 2. Let Bosnia Heal & Unify. 3. Stay Out of Politics!”

Not everyone who was denied entry was Bosniak, but protesters claimed that most were. Dumisic noted that a Croat man was not allowed in, while his American wife was.