A dozen buses from the Public Transport Enterprise Skopje today, according to them, in protest, were parked in front of the seat of SDSM. PTE says they have decided on this step because of the demolition of buses by SDSM supporters at the protests against police brutality.
Almost simultaneously, journalists from the pro-government media also, as stated, expressed their outrage over the violence against the media representatives.
Sticks and stones because were symbolically left in front of the party headquarters because, according to the Macedonian Association of Journalists, “people on official duty were hit with them during the violent protests organized by SDSM.”
In public, however, appears information on preparing lists in local committees of VMRO-DPMNE, for people who would participate in any counter-protests on 17th of May, for when the opposition announced its massive gathering. The latest information is from Shtip, from where it is said that the Union of Women of VMRO-DPMNE in this city is preparing lists of employees of the local administration of people who will go on the counter-protest in Skopje. As they informed, each director in the institutions should prepare such a list and submit it to the municipal committee.
Local committees don’t specify why they are preparing lists, but say they are “checking phone numbers for potential changes.”
– The reports that we are organizing counter-protests are not correct. Those are insinuations from the opposition. We, as a municipal committee, have regular meetings and function as a party – said the new president of MC in Bitola Borche Dimitrovski.
This is confirmed by others and they say that lists are not being prepared, but that some members of the municipal management (especially presidents of local communities) provided a proposal to organize “just in case.” Reportedly, among them there were various discussions and considerations depending on whether if the member is moderate or radical and “is thinking rationally or irrationally”.
Most of them agreed that if “Zaev’s supporters go out of control, then they will react”, and the presidents of the local committees are obliged to choose trustworthy people, but with a “short fuse”, ready for trouble.
This seemed to confirm the speech of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in the news on TV “Sitel”. The Prime Minister said that he constantly received calls to act more forcefully to make a larger organization.
SDSM spokesman Petre Shilegov says that they are not aware what exactly is Nikola Gruevski preparing, apart from that he announced on TV “Sitel”.
– Violence can only be the end of Gruevski. We always, and today as well, appeal for peaceful protests and for restraint from any violence – says Shilegov.
