Students announce protests after the tragedy in Kocani
The causes of the fire that broke out on March 16, in the "Pulse" disco in Kocani, in which 59 young people died, prompted citizens, mainly students, to demand justice against the corrupt system in the country. During the past week, during the days of mourning, Kocani residents went out to protest. Initially announced as a gathering, it started peacefully, but then the situation escalated and culminated in the demolition of the cafe of the disco owner.
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There were gatherings in almost all cities in the country – Skopje, Bitola, Ohrid, Tetovo, Sveti Nikole, Kumanovo, where people peacefully paid their respects to the deceased by laying flowers and lighting candles. Tributes were also paid in cities in other countries.
On the plateau of the University of St. Cyril and Methodius, a peaceful gathering was held - a joint hour for students to pay respect to the deceased, at which the rector of the university, Biljana Angelova, also spoke, and the Minister of Education, Vesna Janevska, also gave a speech.
Minister Janevska began her speech by quoting Aco Shopov, and during her speech several students became ill, causing the speech to be partially interrupted. Janevska's speech at this event was criticized by the students, and the USS UKIM distanced itself from the fact that "the minister was not invited by them to attend or give a speech."
This caused a revolt among the students, which is why the Independent Student Assembly at UKIM issued a statement in which the Student Union of the Faculty of Philosophy at UKIM voted no confidence in the Student Union of UKIM.
– This model of student representation is worn out, the experiment with the USS is over, UKIM students will self-organize in plenary sessions. What students fought for a decade ago, they never got. Instead of authentic representation of student interests, we got a dependent bureaucratic labyrinth called the USS of UKIM. Students cannot have representative bodies controlled by the authorities and parties. These are our universities! – say the Independent Student Assembly.
The Faculty Student Assembly of the Faculty of Law at UKIM has responded by demanding a public apology from the members of the student assembly of the Faculty of Philosophy to the students for abusing the space by spreading false information.
-The only mechanism for expressing revolt in case of disagreement of the FSS with the work of the USS is to recall the elected representatives and not to appoint new ones. Moreover, the FSS of the Faculty of Philosophy has not yet recalled the delegates who were previously elected (although they have already flooded the media for little attention "as if they had voted no confidence"), but on the contrary, the same delegates actively participated in the last session of the USS. We demand a public apology from the members of the student assembly of the Faculty of Philosophy, not to FSS-PF, Law, USS, UKIM - but to all of us, the students, because they are abusing the space by spreading false information, which, unfortunately, is based on their legal laicism - their statement reads.
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The "Zero" initiative has also joined the dissatisfaction with the corrupt social system, telling the Albanian web portal "Lime" that they plan to organize protests demanding justice for the several accidents that have struck Macedonia.
– We inform the public that on Monday at 12:30 pm we will gather in front of the square in Tetovo and protest to the basic court in Tetovo as a sign and in protest of all the tragedies that are happening now in Kocani, including the fire in the modular hospital, demanding responsibility. Because justice cannot and must not be in the shadows, and there must be responsibility for all cases for that. We as citizens in Tetovo will protest for that, that is why it is our duty as citizens – said Blendi Hodai from the initiative "Zero".
NSS UKIM called students to a plenum on Monday at 13 p.m. in front of the UKIM plateau.
– These are our faculties, it is our right to decide! We do not need a bureaucratic body that works behind our backs. It is time for students to decide for their faculties, and not the second-tier bureaucratized body USS. We call on all faculty assemblies to follow the example of the FSS FZF and delegitimize the body that does not represent the students. On Monday, everyone on the plateau – student autonomy does not pray, but defends itself! – their statement reads.
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