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HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS PROTEST IN MACEDONIA

Elena Simonoska

Thu., Oct. 9, 2003

Highschool protests

The protests of the high-school students in Macedonia that have been going on for a week, culminated yesterday, with several hundred high-school students - Macedonians - demonstrating on the streets of the capital Skopje, in front of the Parliament and the buildings of the Government of Macedonia and the Ministry of Education.

The students protest the decision of Minister of Education Aziz Polozani, to move four classes of Albanian students from the "September 8th" elementary school in Avtokomanda borough to the building of "Arseni Jovkov" High School in Cair. The four classes officially were part of the "Arseni Jovkov" High-school, but were stationed in "September 8th" due to the lack of space.

Unlike the previous days, the streets of Skopje were practically invaded yesterday, having in mind that "Arseni Jovkov" students were joined in protest by their colleagues from several other high-schools. They presented only one demand to the Government, that is for Minister Polozani to revoke his decision to move the four classes to the school. They also demanded to be received by Minister Polozani and the Speaker of the Parliament, but the meeting never took place.

On the other hand, there were similarities with the previous days, in the fact that two other persons were attacked and beaten up by the more radical protesters.

The Union of High-School Students of Macedonia condemned the attacks and called for greater restraint and more energetic engagement from the authorities to curb the activities of the politically manipulated students who give the high-school students in general a bad name.

At the same time, the Albanian students from "Zef Ljus Marku" High School held peaceful demonstrations in the schoolyard, in support for their colleagues from the four classes that moved to "Arseni Jovkov".