Bulgarian students protest in Berlin against human rights abuses in northern Macedonia

Dozens of Bulgarians attended the first of three protests organized by the Shemeto Initiative Committee for the Protection of Human Rights. It took place in Berlin despite the bad weather. The students' protests are aimed at attracting the attention of the relevant European institutions and the international community, stating that the Bulgarian people will not tolerate the systematic violation of human rights by our neighbor and the desecration of Bulgarian national symbols in the Republic of Northern Macedonia.

To this end, a petition has been issued claiming that the organizers support the efforts of the Republic of Northern Macedonia to join the EU, but they will not receive the green light from Sofia until the discrimination against Bulgarians in the RSM is ended.

An example of such an unacceptable attitude, according to the text of the "Address of Bulgarian students to the European Commission on discrimination against Bulgarians in the Republic of Northern Macedonia" is the forcing of Bulgarians to declare themselves as Macedonians during the last local census and the refusal to be hired persons with Bulgarian self-consciousness, history and / or identity.

The next protests, to be held on December 6 in Paris and on December 15 in Brussels, call for strict monitoring by the EC of human rights violations against people who identify themselves as Bulgarians in the territory of the Republic of Northern Macedonia.

So far, the initiative has received support from hundreds of Bulgarians in Bulgaria and abroad, as well as in the Republic of Northern Macedonia. They confirm that the remaining protests will take place and hope to see even more people present.

Source: „Shemeto“ Human Rights Initiative Committee

Link to the petition of the „Shemeto“ Human Rights Initiative Committee:
https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/617ed14448c7ab5223116ae4/6183dbc23f24f4…