Walls Of Banovina

by Predrag LUCIC

Feral Tribune, Split, Croatia, May 9, 2003

In Split, May 6 is traditionally marked as one of the most important dates in the history of the city. On that day in 1991, Split trade unionists, following the instructions of Dr. Franjo Tudman, set up protests in front of the Banovina building, which at the time housed the command of the Yugoslav Navy. The human measure of the commemoration of that historical date was most accurately captured by the anonymous graffiti writer who two years ago wrote on the wall of the Banovina building that on May 6 Split actually celebrates "the day we killed the Macedonian kid". Because, that historical date was fateful only for nineteen-year-old Sasko Gesovski from Kavadarci, who was serving his mandatory military service in Split at the time, and his family to whom Sasko's lifeless body was sent covered by a flag.

This year, in honor of "the Day we killed the Macedonian kid", we got an exhibition of photographs in Salon Galic, under the name "Banovina 1991 - we haven't forgotten". The organizer of the exhibition, formally the Split College, hasn't forgotten the death of Sasko Gesovski either, so that the caption below a photograph of a Yugoslav People's Army armored troop carrier says: "First armored troop carrier in front of the Banovina building, besides which died Macedonian soldier Sasko Gesovski, killed by his commanding officers for refusing to shoot on the unarmed people". Thus, we got another page in the ignominious history of the attitude of Split and its residents with respect to the slain young man. This one apparently aims to become and be accepted as the historical truth.

The real truth, however, is very different. I was in front of the Banovina building on May 6, 1991, at the time when shots were fired from the mass of "unarmed people" at the building. I was present when the soldier in the transporter was suffocated to death and when the military started shooting in the air. I was present when the shooting stopped. I was present when one of the speakers informed the crowd that a soldier had been killed. I was present when the patriotic populace greeted the news with enthusiastic approval. The shameful approval that this city will never be able to repent for, even if it tried. But the attitude of Split with respect to the death of Sasko Gesovski and his family since that day has been such that this latest forgery cannot surprise anyone.

Residents of Split have so far been only surpassed in their lack of compassion and indifference towards the slain young man by the idiotic colonel from the Yugoslav People's Army who told Sasko's parents at the burial: "Do not regret the loss of your son. He died defending Yugoslavia". The caption below the photograph at the Split exhibition with similar insensitivity suggests that Sasko Gesovski actually died fighting for our, Croat cause. And Sasko Gesovski did not die fighting for any cause, neither Croat nor Yugoslav. He died because he was murdered. He died because YPA sacrificed him, and the cowardly mob, hiding behind unarmed protesters, readily murdered him.

And both Yugoslavia and Croatia should feel shame because of Sasko Gesovski's death. Neither of them exhibited a minimum of compassion. Consider, twelve years after his death, they only recall him when it is necessary to fire another propaganda bullet in his lifeless body.

Translated on March 8, 2004