"Tsar Boris III" Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Ohrid attacked, signbroard broken

An attack on the new Bulgarian cultural centre in Ohrid. The sign with the name of the club "Tsar Boris III" was broken at noon, on October 12, while representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were visiting the centre.

Those present heard shouts of "fascists" and then the sign above the entrance was broken. A police report has been lodged and a search has been carried out. Law enforcement authorities will work to clarify the case. The Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Ohrid was opened on 7 October. Protests followed and the building was pelted with eggs and objects.

Politicians in North Macedonia, including Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski and Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski, did not condemn the protest but described the opening of the club as a provocation.

This is not the first attack on a Bulgarian centre in North Macedonia - in June, singer Lambe Alabakovski set fire to the doors of the Ivan Mihailov cultural centre in Bitola. Alabakovski was sentenced to six months of imprisonment, on bail, in late September.

North Macedonia's Foreign Minister condemns opening of Bulgarian club "King Boris III" in Ohrid

All Bulgarian cultural centres in the Republic of North Macedonia, regardless of what they are called, will be unwelcomed, Atanas Velichkov, editor-in-chief of the North Macedonian website "Tribuna", told BNT on October 13.

He commented on yesterday's attack on the newest Bulgarian club "Tsar Boris III" in Ohrid.

"The names of the Bulgarian clubs that are opening in North Macedonia is only a justification of what is happening. Even if it was not called "Tsar Boris III", whichever name was chosen, it would happen because there are certain political parties that want to score political points at the expense of the Bulgarian associations. Even if an association is named "Gotse Delchev", there will immediately be reactions about the Bulgarians daring to name their club after Gotse Delchev", he pointed out.

According to Velichkov, the only reaction of the authorities in North Macedonia - that of the Foreign Ministry - is protocol.

"The only institution that condemned what happened was the Foreign Ministry, which insisted that there should be respect for the ideological and ethnic beliefs of all citizens. This was done in order for the Foreign Ministry to come clean in the case," Velichkov said.

The perpetrator of yesterday's attack is in custody. It is unclear what will happen to him from now on.

"Such things will happen as long as the sanction is small. The striker of the Ivan Mihailov club in Bitola received a six-month sentence, on bail. In this case, the perpetrator gets a halo of a great patriot and there will always be a person who would undertake such an act for 5 minutes of fame", Velichkov believes.