From Kumanovo, amid the stands of a basketball match, erupted once again what has become an unwritten norm in North Macedonia: open hatred against Albanians. It was August 2, 2025, and the friendly match between the Macedonian and Romanian national teams turned into an ugly spectacle of racist chants targeting the Albanian community, accompanied by the compromising silence of the state leaders present in the arena, including the current Prime Minister, Kristian Mickoski.

This is not a matter of sport. It is not an “incident.” It is a clear reflection of the unchanged chauvinistic mentality of a large part of Macedonian society—an attitude that persistently finds silent support at the highest levels of politics and state institutions.

From Historical Hatred to a Silent Cultural Genocide
The racist chants of Macedonian fans today are merely a continuation of a state policy of marginalizing Albanians, dating back to the late 1980s, characterized by exclusion, violence, and discrimination. Albanians in North Macedonia are not a minority—they are a constituent people—yet they continue to be treated as a “national threat,” as an “internal enemy.”

Even after the 2001 Ohrid Agreement—which ended the glorious war of the National Liberation Army (NLA) for political rights and equality—the state never implemented the agreement with genuine commitment. Albanians were promised equality, but it remained a dead letter. The Albanian language was held hostage by bureaucracy; representation in the police, military, and civil service was distorted; and the state crimes against Albanians were amnestied, forgotten, or justified.

From Brodec to Kumanovo – When the State Attacks Albanians
In 2007, the village of Brodec became the scene of a brutal police operation, with the support of special forces from Skopje. Under the pretext of capturing “terrorists,” Albanian men were arrested and publicly beaten, while Macedonian media worked to create a climate of fear, portraying Brodec as a “dangerous extremist nest.”

In May 2015, the “Heroes’ Neighborhood” in Kumanovo was devastated by a military-scale operation—an event staged and still uninvestigated. Dozens of Albanians were killed, injured, or imprisoned under dubious charges. No high-ranking official was held accountable for this bloody operation that shocked international opinion. Yet within Macedonia, it was depicted as a “victory against Albanian terrorism.”

A State That Denies the Truth – and Its International Enablers
North Macedonia is the only country in the region that has failed to reconcile with any of its neighbors, except Albania. It has an identity conflict with Bulgaria, a forced name compromise with Greece, and a fragile tie with Serbia due to non-recognition of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. But it is only the Albanians who have recognized, supported, and helped this state preserve its stability.

And for that very reason, Macedonian nationalists label us “traitors” to their mono-ethnic dream! They cannot tolerate the fact that Albanians constitute half of this country, speak their own language, have their own symbols, and refuse to be second-class citizens.

A Warning to Europe and Albanians Everywhere
The silence of international institutions in the face of this situation is shameful. There can be no European integration without real equality for Albanians. There can be no lasting peace in a state that tolerates racism and embeds ethnic hatred into its national identity.