N1 poll: What do young people think of Ratko Mladić?

Most young people questioned by N1 said they know little or nothing about Ratko Mladić, even as the former Bosnian Serb army commander’s funeral takes place. Mladić was convicted of war crimes and genocide.

The responses showed how divided views of him remain. One young woman said she knew there were opposing opinions, but believed her generation lacked direct experience of the events that shaped their parents’ lives. “Our parents are burdened by the whole situation that happened when they were young, while we have no direct experience and can then hold on to what they tell us,” she said.

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Our parents are burdened by the whole situation that happened when they were young, while we have no direct experience and can then hold on to what they tell us.

She added that some of her friends considered Mladić a hero, but said she did not share that view. Another young woman said she regarded him as a criminal because of “his history and everything he did.”

An older woman who took part in the survey said she had seen young men painting a mural dedicated to Mladić. “I don’t know what kind of parents and teachers they have, or whether they have anyone to hear from, but young people are going downhill,” she said.

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I don’t know what kind of parents and teachers they have, or whether they have anyone to hear from, but young people are going downhill.