The statue was the first public monument to Bruce Lee unveiled in the world, with a statue in
Hong Kong being revealed one day later, marking what would have been the
Hong Kong American star's 65th birthday. The project of the statue was spearheaded by Mostar Urban Movement, a youth group headed by
Nino Raspudić and
Veselin Gatalo, who saw the statue as "an attempt to question symbols, old and new, by mixing up high grandeur with
mass culture and
kung fu." In a city that had been torn in war by ethnic divisions, the dynamic movie star was a symbol of "loyalty, skill, friendship, and justice." Lee was "far [enough] away from us that nobody can ask what he did during World War II" and "part of our idea of universal justice–that the good guys can win". Lee, although an American of Chinese descent and famous martial arts actor, represented at least one thing that could bridge the divide between Mostar residents: "One thing we all have in common is Bruce Lee." Both Bosniaks and Croats had complained that the statue was a provocation because they thought it was pointed towards their side of the city in a fighting stance, so its creators rotated the statue to face a neutral direction. On March 3, 2024, the statue was stolen in a heist, and remained missing until it was found by police six days later. The suspect had cut it into pieces and planned on selling it as scrap metal. ==See also==