Prosecutors in the North Macedonia city of Kumanovo have opened an investigation into possible hate speech offenses after nationalist and anti-Albanian chants erupted at a basketball match against Romania over the weekend.
According to ethnic Albanian politicians in North Macedonia, chants from the crowd at the pre-qualification match for the basketball 2027 World Cup in Qatar included “A good Albanian is a dead Albanian,” “Gas chambers for Albanians,” and “Clean Macedonia.”
Senior government officials from North Macedonia -- where ethnic Albanians make up almost one-quarter of the total population of 1.8 million -- were in the crowd. The incident has also sparked angry reactions in Kosovo and Albania, both home to majority-Albanian populations.
North Macedonia is a member of NATO and a European Union candidate country, although its accession to the latter has been hobbled by ethnic and cultural disputes with its neighbors.
North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, one of the officials who attended the game, condemned “the nationalist and xenophobic chants” in a statement on August 4, two days after the match took place.
He said that although he was present in the arena, he “didn’t notice” the fans chanting, claiming it was “a small group of people.”
'Nationalism and Xenophobia'
“I want to take this opportunity to join in the condemnation of nationalism and xenophobia -- first, for what happened during the basketball match between [North] Macedonia and Romania, and second, to send a message to all fan groups: support your team and national squad in a sporting spirit,” Mickoski said.
He added that the chants against Albanians “will be the subject of investigation and sanctions, regardless of where they come from.”
“I want to repeat once more: I absolutely condemn the unusual and unacceptable cheering of some individuals, who did not receive any support from any of the people present in the arena,” he said.
Sports Minister Borko Ristovski said that while the ministry cannot specifically react to the event because it's a crowd issue and not one of any specific club, the ministry will "help identify them (the spectators who made the chants) and act in accordance with the law."
“However, let me use this opportunity to make an appeal: in Macedonia, there is no need for such chants -- from neither side, from no one, no matter where it comes from.”
North Macedonia’s Criminal Code sets out penalties for racist chants and hate speech under several articles, including one which stipulates that anyone who incites or spreads public hatred, division, or intolerance based on race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality shall be punished with imprisonment from one to five years.
Tensions have persisted between the majority population and ethnic Albanian minority ever since the country's 1991 declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia.
They boiled over into a six-month armed conflict between ethnic Albanian rebels and government forces in 2001, which only ended through the intervention of the international community.
A peace deal granted greater rights to the Albanian minority -- which had complained of discrimination and limited opportunities and representation -- and the two communities have lived in relative peace with no major incidents in recent years.
International Reaction
The chants, along with the lack of an immediate reaction from officials in North Macedonia, have sparked outrage from the Albanian opposition party in North Macedonia, the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI).
“There was no institutional reaction, no moral condemnation, no political distancing. Only silent approval, which for us is just as serious as the chants themselves,” the DUI, which called for an urgent investigation and sanctions against the organizers, said.
“Everyone must know: We will not allow the country to become an arena for ethnic hatred. We will not allow Albanians to become targets of fascist chants. We will not remain silent -- not now, not ever again,” it added.
Meanwhile, the secretary general of the Skopje-based Alliance for Albanians, Blerant Ramadani, said that the silence of state leaders regarding the incident in Kumanovo is a “shared moral and political responsibility.”
In Kosovo, the president and lawmakers from parties that were previously in opposition harshly criticized the incident, with President Vjosa Osmani saying the anti-Albanian chants were unacceptable and “violate the spirit of coexistence and mutual respect.”
“Albanians are an indigenous people on their lands and deserve to be treated with dignity and equality, just like any other community,” Osmani said.
Albania also expressed reactions to the chants, with parliamentary speaker Elisa Spiropali calling them offensive and unacceptable.
“Hate speech that incites violence, ethnic conflict, and racism has no place in any public space, much less in sports, which at its core embodies the spirit of unity, cooperation, fair play, and respect for others,” she said.
She added that Albania and Albanians remain committed to promoting coexistence and stand against “outdated and discolored divisions.”
