Three Injured in New Macedonia Inter-Ethnic Violence
Three people were injured in violent incidents in Macedonia overnight, reflecting rising tensions between Macedonian and ethnic Albanian communities, police said Saturday.
Three Macedonian teenagers, aged between 15 and 17, were attacked by four people, one of whom had a metal bar, in the capital Skopje, a police statement said.
Two of the teenagers were hospitalized with head injuries.
According to media reports that police refused to immediately confirm the attackers were ethnic Albanians.
In another incident in Tetovo, a northwestern town with an ethnic Albanian majority, a police officer was hospitalized with a head injury after intervening to protect two men being attacked by a group of some six people, a police statement said.
Police did not elaborate on the ethnicity of those involved in the incident.
On Thursday, 10 people, both Macedonians and Albanians, were injured in a series of violent incidents in Skopje.
Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska warned afterwards that, "It cannot be excluded that someone wants inter-ethnic relations to deteriorate."
Relations between the two communities have improved, but remain scarred by an armed conflict in 2001 between Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian rebels.
A peace deal was signed in August 2001, when ethnic Albanians, who make up some 25 percent of Macedonia's population of two million, were given improved rights.
Earlier this month, some 5,000 ethnic Albanians gathered in the western town of Gostivar to protest the killing of two of their kin by a Macedonian policeman in an apparently non-ethnic-related incident.
11 March 2012, 00:43
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Nothing of what is written up is true, Macedonian are pure liars, actually, two albanians are killed from macedonian police, few days later 14 albanians teenagers including girls, were hospitalized from one macedonians group who were masked. The same group few days later were walking through the city and fighting every albanian they met.
And from that they wrote up is not true at all, the macedonian police who is hospitalized is because he killed two albanians.
11 March 2012, 16:51
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Where in the world did you find this country? Such country, to my knowledge and I can assure you, is a mile higher than yours, does not exist. Prove me wrong. France Presse I wonder whose drums are you marching under?
11 March 2012, 19:30
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Albanians (also known as Shiptars, as they are calling between them) are primitive animals.
The most hatered people on Balkans - they are muslim radicals. They are the most privileged minority all through Europe and in Macedonia, but still they are wild and uneducated even when they finish school.
In this clashes, there are around 25 injured Macedonians (kids, womans, old peoples) and around 7-8 Albanians most of them criminals and not injured because of their ethnicity.
Western countries are tolerating their violence, so are obliged the institutions to tolerate them.
12 March 2012, 06:12
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Macedonia recognized Kosovo, Greece recognized Kosovo, Montenegro recognized Kosovo (against their will) - they all already surrendered under preasure. Expect more!
