North Macedonia: Bulgarian demands spark clashes with police
July 6, 2022
Protesters have thrown stones, metal bars, eggs and Molotov cocktails at the parliament building in Skopje, North Macedonia, injuring dozens of police officers, authorities said Wednesday.
Thousands of people have been converging for several nights in the Macedonian capital after a French proposal called for North Macedonia to acknowledge the existence of an ethnic Bulgarian minority in the country. The proposal is aimed at being incorporated into the country's constitution and it also includes, at the behest of Sofia, formally recognizing that the Macedonian language has Bulgarian roots. Many protesters say the changes aim to undermine their national identity.
The arrangement is seen as a key element in order for North Macedonia to begin EU accession talks.
North Macedonia's President Stevo Pendarovski and the government back the proposal, which now needs to pass through the country's parliament, with lawmakers set to convene later this week.
More protests coming
Police said 11 protesters were arrested on Tuesday night while Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski condemned the attacks against officers. Another demonstration is planned for Wednesday evening.
The center-right main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE and several international law experts, as well as activist groups, counter that the proposal favors Bulgarian demands that dispute Macedonian views of regional history, language, identity and heritage.
North Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005.
Two years ago, the country received a green light to begin accession talks, but, as yet, no date has been fixed for the start of the negotiations.
jsi/dj (AP, dpa)