What happened:On 28.11.2024, during the celebration of the Day of the Albanian flag, three individuals engaged in the burning, tearing, and destruction of the state flag of North Macedonia. The incident, which caused feelings of hatred, discord, and intolerance based on ethnic affiliation, was shared on social media. Public backlash followed, leading to the swift arrest of the three perpetrators. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the acts were deemed to have mocked the national symbol and caused division within the community. Criminal charges were initiated according to article 319 from the Criminal Code.
On 02.12.2024, a separate incident occurred in the Center municipality in Skopje, where police detained a 20-year-old individual from Skopje after he was caught attempting to burn an Albanian national flag with a lighter. The flag and lighter were confiscated, and the individual was detained at the police station. The act was stopped before the flag could be damaged. Following full documentation of the incident, the individual was charged for instigating national, racial, or religious hatred and intolerance (Article 319 of the Criminal Code).
Brief description of the incident with bias indicators:In this incident, the bias motive is the ethnic origin, with the bias indicators being:
- Ethnicity – The incidents were motivated by ethnic antagonism. Burning of national flags to provoke ethnic tensions
- Time – Incident occurred during a major ethnic and national celebration, heightening tensions
Impact on the victims and the community: These types of incidents call into question the general safety in the country and the cohabitation among the different ethnic groups in society.
