The 2012 Republic of Macedonia inter-ethnic violence started in early 2012 and involved
ethnic Macedonians
Macedonians ( mk, Македонци, Makedonci) are a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group native to the region of Macedonia in Southeast Europe. They speak Macedonian, a South Slavic language. The large majority of Macedonians identi ...
and
ethnic Albanians
The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbi ...
of the
Republic of Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
.
Overview
From February to March 2012, there was a wave of inter-ethnic and inter-religious violence throughout the Republic of Macedonia.
On February 28, a policeman killed two ethnic Albanians in
Gostivar
Gostivar ( mk, Гостивар , Albanian and Turkish: ''Gostivar''), is a city in North Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also ...
(western Republic of Macedonia), after the policeman stated he was attacked by the Albanians for refusing to park in a different location.
On March 7, five people were beaten in a bus in the capital,
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
.
On March 10, several acts of violence were recorded in Skopje and
Tetovo
Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...
. In Skopje, a group of youngsters, ethnic Albanians, beat a 66-year-old. In addition, a wooden bridge over the
Vardar River
The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...
was burned.
In Tetovo, ethnic Albanians beat a 16-year-old girl.
Also, a policeman was physically assaulted. Five people were arrested.
On late April 12,
four young men were abducted and killed in an execution-style killing near the capital,
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
. A fifth man was killed soon afterwards, possibly because he witnessed the event. The dead were confirmed as being ethnic Macedonian, and
anti-Albanian protests erupted soon afterwards.
Religious incidents
News agencies reported that Muslims took offense to costumes worn by ethnic Macedonians on January 14, 2012 at an annual carnival in
Vevčani
Vevčani ( mk, ) is a village in North Macedonia. It is the only settlement and seat of Vevčani Municipality.
Geography
The village of Vevčani is found in the southwestern range at the foot of the Jablanica mountain range. It is situate ...
. It was followed by several protests by ethnic Albanians. Seemingly in retaliation, an Orthodox church near
Struga in southwest Republic of Macedonia was burned on January 30.
Macedonian protests
Throughout the Republic of Macedonia many protests were organised in a various cities and villages, two of which turned violent: the village
Smilkovci where the victims came from and in the city of
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
.
The Skopje protest was organised by youths. The protesters wanted to march in the
Saraj Municipality
Saraj ( mk, , sq, Saraj) is one of the ten municipalities that make up the city of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of North Macedonia.
* '' Saraj'', which means "palace" in Turkish, is also the name of the village where the municipal seat ...
where there is an Albanian majority. The protesters were stopped by the police and there started a 10-minute conflict between the police and the protesters. The protesters were recorded chanting “a good
Shqiptar
Shqiptar ( sq-definite, Shqip(ë)tari; aln, Shqyptar/-i; plural: ''Shqiptarë/-t'', ''Shqyptarë/-t'') is an Albanian ethnonym (endonym), by which Albanians call themselves. They call their country ''Shqipëria'' ( aln, Shqypnia, Shqipnia).
E ...
is a dead Shqiptar” and “
gas chambers for Shqiptars”.
Another large peaceful protest was organised in
Bitola where the Macedonian demonstrators marched through the main street of
Shirok Sokak and lit candles for the victims under Bitola's Clock Tower. The protest was said to have been organised by
Čkembari.
Albanian protests
On 4 May 2012, 1,500-3,000 ethnic Albanians protested in
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
demanding the release of the arrested Albanians, chanting "
God is One", "To be an Albanian is not a Crime", "UÇK", "See you in the Mountains", and "Greater Albania". Some protestors later hurled stones at police and smashed the windows of a bus stop.
Shukri Alia
Shukri ( ar, شكري) ( tr, Şükrü), alternatively Shoukri, Shoukry, Shokri, Choukri, Choucri, Chokri etc., is an Arabic name for males/females meaning "thankful". It is the masculine active participle of the Arabic verb, شَكَرَ, meaning ...
, blacklisted by the EU and sought by the Macedonian police for murder and armed attacks on two Skopje police stations, reportedly led efforts to organize new protests. Police said they believe he is hiding in Kosovo.
On 11 May 2012, 5,000 -10,000 Albanians protested in front of the government building in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. They waved
Albanian flags and shouted "Muslims are not Terrorists!", “We are not Terrorists, we are Muslims”, “KLA (
Kosovo Liberation Army)”, “
Greater Albania
Greater Albania is an irredentist and nationalist concept that seeks to unify the lands that many Albanians consider to form their national homeland. It is based on claims on the present-day or historical presence of Albanian populations in th ...
”, "Murderers", "UÇK" and smashed windows in government offices and court buildings. Six policemen, one reporter, and one cameraman were lightly injured. The demonstrators also carried banners
alleging that “
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
and ethnic-
Macedonians” were responsible for the quintuple murder.
See also
*
Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia
The 2001 insurgency in Macedonia was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group, formed from veterans of the Kosovo War and Insurgency in the Preševo Valley, attacked Macedonian sec ...
*
Smilkovci lake killings
The Smilkovci Lake killings ( mk, Убиствата кај Смилковско езеро) also called the Smilkovci Lake massacre ( Macedonian: Масакрот кај Смилковско езеро) took place on 12 April 2012. Five et ...
*
2014 Albanian demonstrations in the Republic of Macedonia
Fourteen or 14 may refer to:
* 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15
* one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014
Music
* 14th (band), a British electronic music duo
* ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013
*''14'', an unrel ...
*
2017 storming of Macedonian Parliament
Storming of the Macedonian Parliament, also known as Bloody Thursday ( mk, Крвав четврток, Krvav četvrtok) occurred on 27 April 2017, when about 200 Macedonian nationalists (some of whom were members and sympathizers of VMRO-DPMNE ...
References
{{Post-Cold War European conflicts
Albanian nationalism in North Macedonia
Modern history of North Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia inter-ethnic violence
2012 crimes in the Republic of Macedonia
2012 riots
Ethnic riots
Anti-Albanian sentiment
Terrorism in North Macedonia
Albanian separatism