Currently, the Republic of Macedonia is facing the largest political crisis in its twenty-four years of existence. Starting from February 9th 2015, the opposition leader Zoran Zaev held thirty three press conferences (which he calls “Bombs”) where he published recorded conversations between various people and high ranking Government officials. The content of these conversations revealed that the Government was illegally wiretapping more than 20.000 citizens, and that high ranking officials and people close to them committed large number of criminal acts, including election fraud, endangerment of safety, racketeering, abuse of power, murder cover up, influencing the judiciary, forming para-military structures within the Police and Army and lot more. Right before the first “Bomb”, the Public prosecutor charged Zoran Zaev with violence against high ranking officials because he allegedly threatened the Prime-minister that he will publish the conversations if he didn’t resign and accept the forming of a transitional Government. The Prime-minister claims that the recordings ware acquired via unnamed foreign intelligence service.
This situation resulted in increased civil activity and massive protests all around the country. On May 5th, Zoran Zaev published the bomb about the Government cover up of the murder of Martin Neskovski in 2011, when they hid the fact that the murderer (who was a police officer) was conducting official matters in the time of the murder, thus covering up the involvement of the Ministry of interior in the crime. The directions came straight from the top – the Prime-minister Nikola Gruevski, and in collaboration with the (now former) Minister of interior affairs, Gordana Jankulovska and (now former) Chief of the Secret police, Sasho Mijalkov. That day, a group of around 2.000 people gathered in front of the Government and for the first time after so many years passed the corridors of policemen who were heavily armed, approaching closer to the building than any other protestors before. At approximately 22:00 hrs, a group of people started engaging in severe clashes with the Police, which resulted in application of disproportional, unselective and excessive force by police forces, where not only aggressive individuals ware targeted but peaceful participants of the protest as well. The following days, the Public prosecutor placed more than a dozen people in pre-trial detention, most of them being students that were not engaged in the violent clashes, charging them with the criminal act of Participation in a mob that prevents an official from conducting his official duty.
The aftermath of this protest was repeating the gatherings that happened before four years or the gatherings at six o’clock. The second day after the violent protest, there were no any attempts from the police structures, and protest go on peacefully. And the thing that made the second protest important, having on mind the persistent presence of the members of the LGBTI community in Macedonia, was the rainbow flag showed up in front of the policemen. The symbolic matters are related to those attacks on the LBTI community when there was missing this “effective” cover up by the security forces. Also the presence of the LGBTI community is important on this protest because of their encouragement to participate in the political life in Macedonia and have important role in the changes of the political process and negative trends of governing.
However, this protest resulted in the creation of one of the largest civil movements in Macedonia, called #Protestiram (Protestiram in Macedonian means I protest). Every day since, exactly at 18:00hrs, this movement held protests in front of the Government and other state institutions. However, the Police used the incidents from May 5th to forbid the Movement to approach the buildings of the Government, Public prosecution office and the Ministry of interior, despite the fact that such limitation of the right to peaceful assembly is unconstitutional. LGBTI activists are one of the most vocal members of this movement.
Several weeks ago, Zoran Zaev announced the massive antigovernment protest, scheduled for May 17th (IDAHOT). He pointed out that it wasn’t going to be a partisan rally, and that it will be a place for anyone that doesn’t agree with the dictatorial policies of Gruevski’s Government. He called for support from all NGOs and informal groups. He called for free Macedonia, and for joint struggle against this undemocratic and repressive regime, funded on the principles of social justice and active protection and care for human rights of all individuals, especially of those that belong to minority and marginalized groups. Recognizing the will for protection of marginalized groups and their rights, the National Network against Homophobia and Transphobia (NNHT) decided to respond to Mr. Zaev’s call and to support the protest. Also due to the current situation, NNHT decided to cancel all other events that ware planed for commemoration of IDAHOT in Macedonia. However, when NNHT declared its support for the protest and told the organizers that IDAHOT was on the same day as the protest, we found a rare understanding and support from the opposition.
Mobilizing through the pages of the Center on the social media, it was succeeded in having the LGBTI community present and active in these crucial political events, no matter of their other identities as ethnicity or religion, but all together.
Members form NNHT ware right in front of the main stage, waving the Rainbow flag together with the thousands of Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian and other flags. For the first time ever, LGBTI people in Macedonia ware accepted as a part of our society, as a part of the change we all want to achieve. The protest gathered between 70.000 and 100.000 people and is still going on.
This means that LGBTI community was represented at this civil coalition and the rainbow flags – that symbolically reflected the presence of the community – were winnowed again with a quit an attention from the media that followed the event. Also after the biggest protest in the history of independent Macedonia, some of the participants stayed in front of the government building with the idea of – camping till the end of the dictatorship in Macedonia. This occupied space in front of the building that became a political cotangent was fulfilled with different activities and the National network against homophobia and transphobia had a gondola there with promotional material so that people can inform about the work of the organizations that are part of this network such as LGBTI Support Center – Helsinki Committee for Human Rights.
The entire event went peacefully for LGBTI people and activists, which was unimaginable until now. This encourages LGBTI people from Macedonia that better times lay ahead, times where all people will be truly equal, regardless of their differences. Also this prominent presence of the LGBTI people and the activities that took place before 17th May means that there is hope of better positions for the LGBTI community in Macedonia and commitment of the next government for making that possible.
