On Friday, three persons arrested in relation to the incidents during Thursday’s celebrations of Albanian Flag Day in North Macedonia, were each issued an eight-day detention measure due to the possibility of them fleeing and repeating the act.
They are suspected of causing hatred, discord or intolerance on national, racial, religious or any other discriminatory ground, (Article 319 of the Criminal Code). In the same process, a juvenile will face regular proceedings according to the Law on Justice for Children.
Also on Friday, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski told Kanal 5’s 3pm news program that another two people had been arrested, bringing the total to 10 up to that point. The two newly arrested persons are under 18 as well.
According to the Minister, they, too, “most likely” committed the crime of causing hatred, discord or intolerance on national, racial, religious or any other discriminatory ground. Toskovski also said he thought more arrests would follow.
Regarding DUI’s stand that police’s actions led to the incidents, he described it as unserious and manipulative.
“We will see who organized, if they organized, this unrest. We will see why this is happening precisely at this time interval. We will see and investigate those matters as well,” Toskovski stressed.
On Saturday, Toskovski said another 7 people had been arrested over the incidents, bringing the total to 17. The majority of all arrested people are juveniles. Some were deprived of liberty for desecration of the national flag, others for desecration of the Albanian one, while one was arrested for desecration of the Serbian flag.