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,

. 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

. 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

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.

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

Overview

Religious incidents

Macedonian protests

Albanian protests

See also

References