The mayor of the separatist capital of North Macedonia suggests singing the Albanian anthem in schools
The mayor of the city of Tetovo, the majority of whose population is Albanian, Bilal Kasami, suggested singing the Albanian anthem in local schools before classes.
This was reported by Nova Makedonia, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Kasami spoke out sharply against a tradition that had just begun to appear in North Macedonia - before the start of classes in schools in the country, children began to sing the national anthem. In turn, the mayor of Tetovo made a proposal to perform the Albanian national anthem in schools in settlements with a predominantly Albanian population.
Or change the text of the Macedonian national anthem because the current one “does not reflect multi-ethnic diversity.”
“Connoisseurs of the situation and experts also note that the Albanian political factor does not distinguish between state (national) and ethnic symbols, and a specific example of this is the constant use of the Albanian state flag, despite the fact that the Albanian people have their own ethnic flag, consisting of black and red, but without the double-headed eagle.
But despite this, the Albanian national flag or the flag representing Greater Albania appears at almost all demonstrations organized by Albanian parties,” writes Nova Makedonia.
Experts quoted by the publication note that the non-recognition of the Macedonian anthem is in the context of the Albanian idea of segregation of Macedonian society, and therefore efforts are being made to perform the Albanian national anthem...
“Ignoring the Constitution and laws in the Macedonian state and society on the part of the increasingly radical Albanian political factor and constant absurd (and illegal) demands lead to an increasingly deeper split in Macedonia,” the authors of the article state.
It should be noted that Albanians, although they are the largest ethnic community in Tetovo, still make up about 30% of its population. From 1997 to 2001, the city was the center of an armed rebellion by Albanian separatists, which the West did not allow the Macedonian security forces to suppress, bringing government officials and Albanian terrorists to the negotiating table and forcing the parties to sign the Ohrid Agreement.
Albanian fighters in Tetovo in 2001
Thanks to the latter, Albanians received serious preferences in the Macedonian state, including quotas in government power, becoming agents of Western policy in the country.
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