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North Macedonia police said 47 officers were injured, two seriously, after a group of mostly young men threw rocks, metal bars, eggs and Molotov cocktails at the capital’s parliament building.
Thousands of people have protested nightly in Skopje since the weekend over a compromise proposed by France aimed at quelling opposition from neighbouring Bulgaria to North Macedonia’s accession to the European Union (EU).
Police said 11 protesters were detained Tuesday night when officers were injured.
Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevsky condemned the attack on the police, saying the violence was unjustified.
Another protest is planned for Wednesday night.
Bulgaria, a member of the European Union with veto power over new members, wants North Macedonia to formally recognize its language with Bulgarian roots, recognize the country’s Bulgarian minority and remove “hate speech” against Bulgaria.
Many in North Macedonia say acquiescence undermines their national identity.
North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski and the government have backed a proposed French agreement that would require the country to recognize the presence of the Bulgarian minority in its constitution.
It will also conduct regular reviews on how to resolve bilateral disputes, which could hamper North Macedonia’s future EU membership.
Bulgaria has formally accepted the French proposal and now needs the support of the North Macedonian parliament.
Politicians are scheduled to meet later this week.
The main centre-right opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, a number of international law experts and civil society organisations countered that the French proposal favours Bulgaria’s demands, challenging Macedonia’s views on the region’s history, language, identity and heritage.
North Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership for 17 years.
The country was given the green light to start accession talks in 2020, but has yet to set a start date for the talks.
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