SKOPJE - Strike of Secondary-School Students

CLOUDS OF FASCISM OVER THE "OASIS OF PEACE"

AIM Skopje, 23 February, 1997

Developments which have surprised the Macedonian and the international public with their senselessness immediately after publication of draft law which enables the Albanians to study in their mother tongue at the Skopje Teachers' College, when the students of Macedonian nationality went out into the streets to protest, have in the past few days acquired dimensions which should cause serious concern. Threat of Macedonian students that they would continue with protests if this draft law should be adopted is now carried out, but in a somewhat unusual manner. Instead of university students, who showed up in just a symbolic number, streets of Skopje were crowded with secondary-school students whose placards caused dispair among all those who had strived to present Macedonia as a country in which interethnic relations were on the highest level among all the neighbouring countries. There is no doubt that slogans such as "butcher knives for the Shqiptars" and "Gas Chambers for the Shqiptars" leave little hope that a comparative study on human rights of ethnic minorities in the Balkans would speak in favour of Macedonia, as its President Kiro Gligorov had probably hoped when he proposed the mentioned draft law. Most probably even the creator of the name "oasis of peace" which was given to Macedonia began to doubt, especially since one of the numerous stones which were thrown in the direction of the Parliament flew into his office "by accident", having of course previously broken a window.

The latest act of the agonizing drama concerning the language of teaching for the non-Macedonian ethnic groups, to be precise for the Albanians, started on 17 February when students of Macedonian nationality at the Teachers' College announced a boycott of the second semester because the law had been adopted which enables the Albanians to study in their mother tongue. The boycott was accompanied by protests in front of the parliament building, the Government and the Ministry of education, but students of Skopje University did not show up at them, although it was believed they would. The "shortage" of university students was compensated for by massive presence of secondary-school students, the number of whom reached about ten thousand, from all secondary schools in Skopje where teaching is in Macedonian language. The "fresh blood" which joined the protests brought along by far more radical slogans which had hardly anything to do with the objective of the protest. The contents of the placards could hardly be linked to the age of those who carried and shouted them, but they nevertheless caused fear from what might happen in the future. More than the slogans themselves and the caricatures which were extremely insulting for the Albanians and in utterly bad taste, the fact that there were very few of those who declared themselves against such chauvinist messages caused an even greater concern in a part of the public. They were supported by the greatest opposition party, the VMRO-DPMNE. There are quite a few of those who believe that this party manipulates the students in order to bring about overthrowing of the government, and not just because the students were carrying the ancient state flag of Macedonia. A few days ago, the leader of this party, Ljupco Georgievski, having offered support to the secondary-school students (university students had almost completely withdrawn), marked the protests as "democratization of the society", and for the students (mostly from the lower grades of secondary schools, and it is said that among them were even pupils from the higher grades of elementary schools) he said that they were "manifesting a high level of awareness".

Another party with the prefix VMRO went even a step further in support to the minors. This United VMRO party offered to the Macedonian public a "Draft Law on Protection of the Macedonian Nation" which has seven articles. The first article in this "draft law" bans the Albanians to own stock in stockholders' companies and to participate in recruitment for the army. According to this party which calls the Albanians "Shqiptars", they should be allowed only to work the land and even this only until they are banished from Macedonia. For salvation from their "misfortune" of being members of the Albanian nation, this party "offers" them to accept the Orthodox religion and Macedonian nationality within six months (supposedly after adoption of this "draft law"), because otherwise they would be banished within the following twelve months, or else put in reservations.

Although it is hard to believe that anyone will understand this as an expression of healthy human common sense and possibly support it (although at this moment in this space even that should not be ruled out) it is quite certain that along with the mentioned slogans about gas chambers and butcher knives, this is one of the gravest challenges for the Macedonian state and government in the coming period which cannot be limited in time. Although duration of these protests is limited to last but a week, after all it is hard to believe that this is where everything will end, although the government is acting as if it can hardly wait for these days to pass, hoping probably that everything will end simply by the children going home after the "party". Indeed it is true that for a large majority of them this "party" is nothing else but a way to get out of school, but the thing that is giving the whole issue by far a more serious dimension is the fact that certain political forces are striving to use it for much graver objectives.

Tha party in power which is the bearer of the government coalition, the SDSM, finally issued a statement a few days later to accuse the VMRO-DPMNE that it had led the children into the streets and that things like that could lead to a denouement soaked in blood, "deja vu in the immediate neighbourhood". The seriousness of these developments which are without doubt undermining the very foundations of the state whose stability according to certain assessments relies on interethnic relations, is best illustrated by the fact that President Gligorov himself has accepted to meet the delegation of students and pupils. It is also indicative that the pupils are supported by their teachers (it is said that they are the ones who are organizing the protest) as well as a large number of parents.

Simultaneously with these, one could say distressing developments, events are taking the opposite direction at the Teachers' College itself. The College Dean who is believed to be the initiator of the story made it public that he would back implementation of the controversial law, and a public competition for employment of professors in Albanian language has already been published. At the same time, as an expression of good will, decision was reached at the College to enable the students who had boycotted the autumn semester to continue studying without having to repeat it. To what extent this will contribute to alleviating the foreboding that clouds of fascism are gathering over Macedonia, remains to be seen.

IBRAHIM MEHMETI