Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Macedonia CapitalProtesters in Macedonia Monday stormed the parliament building in Skopje, forcing the president as well as government and Albanian leaders to flee.Amid Macedonia's rising tensions with its ethnic Albanian population, it was the majority, not the minority that lashed out. The protesters are demanding harsher action against minority Albanians. Several angry Macedonian reservists made their way to the balcony, and fired gunshots into the air, cheered on by the crowd of about 5,000 outside. Others destroyed furniture inside the building, or hung the former Macedonian flag from the building. The flag was replaced more than half a century ago by communists when the country was still part of Yugoslavia. Outside, crowds pounded on police cars and shouted: "Gas chambers for the Albanians!," "Traitors! Traitors!," "Give us weapons! Give us weapons!" and "Death to the Albanians!" Albanians are a minority in Macedonia ¡ª outnumbered by Slavs more than three-to-one. Armed rebels have been demanding more autonomy. The protests followed on the heels of a deal brokered and implemented by NATO and European Union envoys that allowed a group of ethnic Albanian rebels to pull out of a strategically important suburb near the capital and return to guerrilla-held territory. The deal, which came just days after government forces began an offensive on the village of Aracinovo, was designed to revive peace talks. But the calm was short-lived. New fighting broke out near Tetovo, as rebels attacked police positions on the outskirts of the city and government forces returned fire. A Macedonian interior ministry official told Reuters one policeman had been killed and five wounded. Angry protesters also blocked an empty convoy that was returning home after transported rebels and their weapons to rebel-held territory. After several hours the convoy turned back to try another route. |
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