Condemnation from CIVIL for the spreading of ethnic hatred by “Komiti” and demands to institutions for sanctioning such behaviour

CIVIL most strongly condemns the hate speech, spreading of ethnic hatred and calls for lynching that fan groups have been promoting continuously and for years. Specifically, the reason for this strong condemnation is the latest incident with the chanting of the fan group “Komiti” throughout the Center of Skopje on September 13, 2020.

The institutions to urgently, decisively and finally deal with this and appropriately sanction all groups and individuals spreading hatred and calling for violence, is the call that CIVIL has continuously been appealing for years, regardless of which side the hatred is coming from.

CIVIL is advocating for a society in which freedom, equality and justice rule, a society in which citizens feel safe and have trust in the institutions, where security, freedom of movement and freedom of expression are guaranteed by law and with efficient functioning of the system.

A society in which certain groups are continuously calling for and committing violence against the citizens cannot be a healthy society. The constant calls for extreme violence by certain groups are a result of the established impunity of the previous government, but also the impunity that has continued even after the fall of the regime.

The radical structures in the country are continuously and without being punished spreading hatred along ethnic, religious and political grounds, as is also yesterday’s case with the parading of a group of fans accompanied with nationalist chanting and hate speech against the Albanians.