An unidentified individual set fire today to vehicles belonging to the Bulgarian Embassy in central Skopje, according to the Macedonian media outlet tribuna.mk. According to preliminary information, the attacker appears to have poured a flammable liquid over a Suzuki Vitara and set it ablaze, after which the fire spread to another vehicle parked nearby. The arson attack on the Bulgarian embassy vehicles comes amid intensified rhetoric by the Republic of North Macedonia toward Bulgaria, the Macedonian publication notes.
The attack also follows remarks made last week by Bulgaria's ambassador to Skopje, Zhelyazko Radukov, before the Parliamentary Commission for Bulgarians Abroad in Bulgaria's 52nd National Assembly. He stated that each month the embassy handles three to four cases involving Bulgarian citizens or Macedonian Bulgarians who report discrimination, hate-motivated behavior, or violations of their rights.
Suspect fled the scene
Following the attack, the perpetrator fled the scene. Police units have secured the area around the embassy, while other teams are taking measures to identify and locate the arsonist.
There are no reports of injuries.
The competent authorities are expected to treat the incident with particular seriousness. Any attack against a diplomatic facility or diplomatic vehicles constitutes a significant security incident and requires a swift institutional response until the case is fully clarified and responsibility is established, the media outlet further reported.
Reactions
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria was the first to react, strongly condemning the incident and linking the attack to the growing anti-Bulgarian rhetoric and the lack of adequate punishments in previous similar cases. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is a demonstrative act of aggression that threatened the health and lives of the staff at the Bulgarian diplomatic mission.
"I categorically condemn the arson of diplomatic vehicles of the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje. This is not an ordinary criminal act, but an unacceptable assault against a diplomatic mission, which calls into question the ability of the authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia to guarantee the security of foreign diplomatic missions in accordance with their international obligations," President Iliana Iotova stated in her position. She is adamant that these actions are a direct consequence of the instigation of hatred in our southwestern neighbor.
Meanwhile, journalist and editor-in-chief of the Macedonian media outlet tribuna.mk, Atanas Velichkov, also commented on the case for our media, stating that crimes against Bulgarians are punished symbolically in North Macedonia. In this regard, he warned that hate speech, when left unpunished, provokes hate crimes.
Not the first incident
This is not the first attack against the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje.
Earlier this year, in January, an unknown individual carried out an attack on the embassy. Footage was published showing the perpetrator approaching the embassy entrance and striking the door with an object (reportedly a knife or similar sharp instrument). The incident also resulted in broken windows on the embassy building.
As a reminder, in 2022, two Bulgarian cultural clubs were opened in North Macedonia. In Bitola, it is named after Ivan Mihailov, and the one in Ohrid was named after Tsar Boris III. Although this was something extremely positive for Macedonian Bulgarians, the usual hate speech escalated into physical altercations.
A total of four attacks against the clubs followed. In early June, the entrance door of the "Ivan Mihailov" Cultural Center in Bitola was set on fire, leading to a protest note being handed to the Ambassador of North Macedonia in our country.
However, this did not prevent an armed man from breaking in just two days after the opening of the "Tsar Boris III" club in October, smashing the sign and the windows while shouting "Bulgarians, fascists." In November, the "Tsar Boris III" club was attacked twice. Assailants, currently unknown, pelted the club's premises with stones, breaking the glass and part of the illuminated sign. A few days later, the club was shot at with a firearm.
Following the latest attack, the Macedonian Ambassador to Sofia was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was handed a sharp demarche regarding the armed attack against the "Tsar Boris III" Bulgarian cultural club in Ohrid. Bulgarian diplomats also briefed the leadership of the European Commission in detail about the severe incident. It should be noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia also strongly condemned the act of vandalism, in which the outer windows of the civic club in Ohrid were damaged by a weapon. ОЩЕ: Нова ескалация: Запалиха две коли на българското посолство в Скопие (ВИДЕО и СНИМКИ)*
