2001 Skopje protests

2001 Skopje protests
Part of the Aračinovo crisis
Date	26 June 2001
Location	Skopje, Macedonia
Caused by	Halting of the Macedonian assault on Aračinovo Evacuation of around 500 NLA insurgents[1] Involvement of the international community[2]
Methods	Vandalism Demonstrations Rioting Violence Property damage Occupation of administrative buildings[2]
Parties
Macedonian citizens Macedonian army reservists Macedonian nationalists  Macedonia
Number
3,000–5,000[2][1] Around 50 soldiers[2]
Casualties
Death(s)	None

The 2001 Skopje protests in Skopje, Macedonia, began after the evacuation of National Liberation Army (NLA) insurgents during the Aračinovo crisis, involvement of the international community, and the halting of the Macedonian assault of Aračinovo.[2][3][4] Around 3,000 to 5,000 Macedonians protested against the Government of Macedonia.[1][2][4]

Storming the Parliament building

On 26 June 2001, from 3,000 to 5,000 Macedonian protesters, armed with machine guns, broke into the Parliament building and demanded to talk to the President of Macedonia at the time, Boris Trajkovski, shouting "treason", calling for "resignation",[3] and deriding Trajkovski's decision to allow the rebels to take their weapons when they retreated.[5] Some protesters chanted anti-Albanian slogans such as "Gas chambers for the Albanians", "death to the Albanians", "kill the Albanians", as well as demanding that ethnic Albanian rebels be killed.[6][7][8]

The crowd was made up of army and police, as well as reservists who kept the NLA encircled in Aračinovo. They later managed to get into the building, where they started to break windows and furniture, and destroyed two police cars.[5] Macedonian flags were hung on balconies.[2] Protesters replaced the Macedonian flag with the country's former Vergina Sun flag.[8] The president's Mercedes-Benz was destroyed.[2] Trajkovski was evacuated after demonstrators broke into the Parliament building.[1][4] Several police officers and several journalists were injured.[2]

See also

• 2001 anti-Albanian protests

References

1. "Macedonia: Uneasy Calm Follows Late-Night Protests". RadioFreeEurope. 26 June 2001. p. 1.
2. Terzieff, Juliette (25 June 2001). "Macedonia president flees protesters". CNN.
3. "Полицајци и граѓани гневни од "предавството во Арачиново" протестираа пред Парламентот". Дневник Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
4. Robertson, Nic (27 June 2001). "New front opens in Macedonia". CNN. p. 1.
5. Naegele, Joylyon (26 June 2001). "Macedonia: Nation Moves One Step Closer To Anarchy". RadioFreeEurope.
6. "Macedonian Peace Agreement Spurs Riots". The Washington Post. 26 June 2001.
7. "Hatred on the streets of Skopje". CNN. 26 June 2001.
8. John C. Phillips (2002). Macedonia: Warlords and Rebels in the Balkans. I.B.Tauris & Company Limited. p. 128. ISBN 9786000007843.