From 7/7 and Srebrenica: What Have we Learned?

On 7 July 2005, four coordinated suicide bombings struck London’s transport system killing 52 people and injuring over 770 more. It was the deadliest terror attack in the UK since Lockerbie in 1988. A decade earlier, the world witnessed the largest massacre in Europe since the Second World War, the Srebrenica genocide. In July 1995, Bosnian Serb Forces massacred over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica and expelled 25,000 civilians in an act of ethnic cleansing.

This week marks 20 years since the 7/7 London bombings and 30 years since the Srebrenica genocide. These atrocities shattered lives, left deep scars on our collective memory and should have been turning points to prevent such violence from recurring. Yet, if we look at the world today, it is clear we have not learnt from the past. Despite the promise of “never again,” mass atrocities, war crimes and genocide continue. Perpetrators often go unpunished, justice is delayed or denied and the international community too often looks away.

On 7 July 2005, London was shook by four co-ordinated suicide bombings. This horrific act of terrorism left families with unimaginable grief and loss, while survivors endured lasting physical and psychological scars. Twenty years on, victims’ families and survivors still feel the impact from this horrendous attack, recalling haunting scenes and traumatic experiences of one of the darkest days in modern British history. Remembering 7/7 is crucial not only to honour the victims but to recognise the importance of addressing the root causes of violence and division.

The Srebrenica genocide, the only genocide on European soil since the Second World War, should have changed the way the world responds to atrocities. Thousands of Bosnian Muslim men and boys were brutally massacred in the space of a few days and thousands more forcibly expelled. Bosnian Muslims were subject to ethnic cleansing, sexual violence and detention in concentration camps. Despite Srebrenica being declared a UN safe zone, a genocide was carried out while the world watched. The massacre was preceded by weeks of warnings and UN peacekeeping presence, yet no intervention came. Srebrenica was a clear warning that genocide could still happen in plain sight and the world would fail to stop it. Rather than being the last atrocity of its kind, it became a tragic example that others would follow.

Despite pledges to prevent genocide and protect civilians, the world has continued to witness atrocities on a devastating scale. Today, Palestinians in Gaza are being subject to an ongoing genocide. Since October 2023, more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed, around 2 million displaced and most of Gaza’s infrastructure has been reduced to rubble. After the repeated blocking of aid, Gaza is “the hungriest place on Earth” according to the UN which has warned that the entire population is at risk of famine. As the onslaught has intensified, various legal and human rights experts have pointed out Israel’s violation of international law and war crimes, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war and the deliberate targeting of civilians. Yet, even after international courts have recognised Israeli war crimes, the genocide continues in real time as the world watches on.

In Sudan, around 150,000 people have been killed since conflict broke out in April 2023. Nearly 13 million have been displaced and over 30 million are in need of aid, in what has been described as the largest humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands face famine as the UN has warned that the humanitarian crisis is only worsening. Yet, the crisis receives little global attention or action.

These are just two examples of many atrocities in recent times. In Syria, over 500,000 people have been killed since 2011, with millions displaced and chemical weapons used against civilians. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, over 6 million people have been killed since 1996, while militias have raped, executed and terrorised civilians. In Myanmar, Rohingya Muslims have been subjected to a brutal genocide, with over 700,000 forced to flee. In China, over a million Uyghur Muslims have been detained in camps, facing forced labour and cultural erasure. For years, these atrocities have been largely ignored by the international community. In some cases, violence continued despite outcry. In others, atrocities unfolded in almost silence.

Following the horrors of the Holocaust, the world vowed “never again” and adopted the Genocide Conventionin 1948 to prevent genocide and punish those who commit it. However, these words have lost their meaning as mass atrocities continue, while international law has proven ineffective as genocides have occurred in Rwanda, Bosnia, Myanmar, and elsewhere, often without consequence. These tragedies show how weak global mechanisms designed to protect human rights are in stopping violence and protecting civilians.

Even when we know what’s happening, governments often stay silent or act too slowly. We have seen time and again, powerful states block action at the UN Security Council, while international law moves slowly, if at all. If we look to Gaza, mass atrocities are well documented and the genocide is ongoing while global leaders look away and international law is ineffective and slow. Many deny a genocide is actually taking place, while others block efforts to intervene because it doesn’t suit their political interests. As mass atrocities become more common, global responses grow weaker. Genocide no longer shocks in the way it once did.

The UK government’s response to Gaza is a particularly stark example of this hypocrisy. While British officials attend memorial events to honour the victims of Srebrenica, such as the ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral, they simultaneously provide arms and support to the Israeli government as it carries out mass violence in Gaza. Local councils and national leaders commemorate one genocide while actively enabling another. This contradiction reveals just how hollow our commitment to “never again” has become.

As we mark the anniversaries of 7/7 and Srebrenica, we must remember the lives lost. However, commemoration must be more than remembering. It must be a commitment to hold those responsible to account, protect civilians and the courage to stand against atrocity wherever it occurs. It must mean strengthening international mechanisms, demanding justice and prioritising human lives over politics. We cannot change the past, but we can learn from it and change how we respond to the present. Only then can we truly honour those innocent lives lost and ensure these atrocities never happen again.

The 2025 theme for the Remembering Srebrenica project is, “Remember Yesterday, Act Today”. It seems we are good at remembering, but our inaction shows we have learnt nothing from highlighting such memories.