A total of 8,372 Bosnians were killed in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 1995 by units of the Bosnian Serb army under the command of Gen. Ratko Mladic during the Bosnian war.

Young Bosnians Association President Enisa Kezo stated that this monument serves as a metaphor for the “betrayal of the United Nations,” which failed to prevent the Srebrenica genocide from happening and to intervene to stop the mass killing of thousands.

“The whole world should remember this genocide and should see the United Nation's dishonor,” stated Enisa Kezo. She later criticized those who called the genocide a “massacre,” saying, “This cannot be a massacre because a massacre is nothing compared to genocide.” Kezo thanked Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu for their support in the project.

As part of the campaign, organizers collected 8,372 pairs of shoes, representing the 8,372 people who died in the genocide; however, the intense interest shown by people in the project doubled the number of shoes received and over 15,000 pairs of shoes were brought to the monument in Taksim.

Besides Prime Minister Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Davutoğlu, AK Party deputy Nimet Çubukçu, Turkish pop diva Sezen Aksu, screenwriter Gani Müjde and writer Ayşe Kulin joined the campaign by sending their shoes. The 15,000 pairs of shoes collected will be given to people in need by the Young Bosnians Association starting on Monday.

Turkish rock singer Haluk Levent joined the protest in Taksim Square on Saturday, stating that after 16 years of genocide, the pain is still there and it hurts even more. “This genocide took place in front of the eyes of the United Nations and European countries, which claim to be civilized,” Levent said.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç is travelling to Bosnia and Herzegovina to take part in ceremonies to commemorate victims of the Srebrenica massacre. Arınç will be in Srebrenica on July 11, officials of the Turkish Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina said on Saturday.

Senior officials of several countries, including Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, will attend this year's ceremonies. Last year, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Serbian President Boris Tadic were in attendance at the commemoration ceremony in Srebrenica.