Skopje: Hooligans arrested after attacks

The Macedonian Interior Ministry has filed charges against hooligan fans of the Vardar football club who threw rocks at ethnic Albanians. Police did not give the names of the nine hooligans who injured five Albanians before the derby between Vardar and Makedonija Djorche Petrov. Skopje: Hooligans arrested after attacks Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska said that a total of seven people were injured and that several vehicles were also damaged. The Party of Albanians and the opposition Social Democratic Alliance condemned Sunday’s incident and asked for the police to justly punish those responsible. “It is absolutely unacceptable to have such cowboy and vandal acts take place in the middle of day. Officials of the Interior Ministry must expect that there will be a high level of risk of incidents at sporting events of this nature,” the Social Democratic Alliance stated. The Democratic Party of Albanians said that the ruling coalition, made up of VMRO-DPMNE and the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) – another ethnic Albanian party – are "still treating Albanians as second rate citizens", and that the Sunday’s incident was "akin the Crystal Night in Germany in 1938", when Nazis conducted a pogrom of the Jewish population. DPA accused DUI of not protecting Albanians' interest and asked them to leave the government. DUI for its part asked Macedonia's MUP and the government to find out who the perpetrators of the violence were. Earlier today, reports said that four people were injured after the football game. A group of Vardar supporters "pelted rocks at people and destroyed several cars after their team lost", club spokesman Borche Peshevski told the AP. Local Telma TV quoted eyewitnesses as saying that a group of several dozen young men "attacked mostly [ethnic] Albanians". Media are reporting that riots blocked a bridge is Skopje for about four hours. The four were treated with light injuries in a local hospital. Vardar lost 0-5 to Djorche Petrov.

Skopje: Hooligans arrested after attacks

Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska said that a total of seven people were injured and that several vehicles were also damaged.

The Party of Albanians and the opposition Social Democratic Alliance condemned Sunday’s incident and asked for the police to justly punish those responsible.

“It is absolutely unacceptable to have such cowboy and vandal acts take place in the middle of day. Officials of the Interior Ministry must expect that there will be a high level of risk of incidents at sporting events of this nature,” the Social Democratic Alliance stated.

The Democratic Party of Albanians said that the ruling coalition, made up of VMRO-DPMNE and the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) – another ethnic Albanian party – are "still treating Albanians as second rate citizens", and that the Sunday’s incident was "akin the Crystal Night in Germany in 1938", when Nazis conducted a pogrom of the Jewish population.

DPA accused DUI of not protecting Albanians' interest and asked them to leave the government.

DUI for its part asked Macedonia's MUP and the government to find out who the perpetrators of the violence were.

Earlier today, reports said that four people were injured after the football game.

A group of Vardar supporters "pelted rocks at people and destroyed several cars after their team lost", club spokesman Borche Peshevski told the AP.

Local Telma TV quoted eyewitnesses as saying that a group of several dozen young men "attacked mostly [ethnic] Albanians".

Media are reporting that riots blocked a bridge is Skopje for about four hours.

The four were treated with light injuries in a local hospital.

Vardar lost 0-5 to Djorche Petrov.