Albanian students have announced a new protest on May 18 in Skopje, expanding their cause from the issue of taking the bar exam in the Albanian language to demanding the full implementation and respect of the Albanian language in all state institutions.
The organizers say that the first protest began as a reaction to the inability to take the jurisprudence exam in Albanian, but during this period, other issues related to the treatment of the Albanian language in institutions have also emerged.
One of the organizers, Mevlan Ademi, stated that the protest has now taken on a broader civic character and called for the mobilization of professors, students, civil society, and Albanian political representatives.
“The message was initially focused on a technical problem related to improving the study process, but later many other issues were uncovered, and now this has turned into a protest for the use of the Albanian language in all institutions of North Macedonia. I also believe that all layers of civil society, professors, students, political representatives, and all citizens should stand united. Our language should unite us, not divide us. At the end of the day, we all share the same concern,” said Mevlan Ademi, a student.
According to the announcement, the protest will be held on Monday starting at 4:30 PM. The gathering will begin at the Stone Bridge in Skopje, after which protesters will march through the city.
Support for the protest has also been expressed by Albanian opposition politicians in the country, as well as political figures from Kosovo and Albania.
On the other hand, Albanian representatives in the government remind the public that the jurisprudence exam has never been held in the Albanian language since the country’s independence, and they promise to resolve this issue for the first time. A working group has already been formed and is currently working on a legal solution.
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