The First Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Izet Mexhiti, has issued a strong condemnation following an alarming incident of ethnic hatred during a basketball match between North Macedonia and Romania, held at the Kumanovo sports hall.
The event descended into a display of xenophobia, as repeated racist and anti-Albanian chants were heard from sections of the crowd — with no visible intervention from the attending authorities.
Among the chants was a disturbing and exclusionary slogan:
“Let the cursed Albanians understand, the Macedonian name will not disappear, pure Macedonia, pure, pure.”
Mexhiti responded harshly in a Facebook statement:
“I strongly condemn the racist and anti-Albanian chants heard during the basketball game. Offensive words and songs that incite hatred have no place in our state and society.”
He described the chants as a direct attack on the principles of coexistence and equality that should define North Macedonia.
“Chants infused with fascist ideology do not represent any of us and must never be repeated again,” Mexhiti emphasized, calling for restraint and institutional accountability.
Albanian media outlets in Skopje highlighted an even more troubling aspect: these hate-filled messages were chanted in the presence of top state officials — including Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Kumanovo Mayor Maksim Dimitrievski, Foreign Minister Pančo Toškovski, Deputy PM Ivan Stoiljković, and others — none of whom made any visible effort to denounce or stop the hateful rhetoric.
Additional chants included horrifying messages such as:
“A good Albanian is a dead Albanian” and “Gas chambers for Albanians.”
These events have sparked outrage across communities and have reignited concerns about ethnic tensions and state inaction in the face of hate speech.
