Several thousand people marched on Saturday, November 15, in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, to support the families of the victims of the fire that killed 63 people in March at a nightclub in the east of the country, days before the opening of trials in connection with this tragedy.
The demonstrators were joined by family members of the victims who marched through the city center behind large banners bearing portraits of the victims and the message: “63 shadows will follow you”said a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
While stopping in front of Parliament and the criminal court, the crowd chanted: “Justice for Kocani!” ». People carried signs that said “The system is shutting down” And “How many more children have to be lost for you to wake up?” ».
“Many unanswered questions”
The fire, one of the deadliest in Europe, which broke out on the night of March 15-16 during a hip-hop concert at the Kocani nightclub, caused the death of 63 people and injured nearly 200 others, mainly young people aged 16 to 26, shocking the Balkan country. The fire started from fireworks, in a crowded room that did not meet safety standards (lack of fire extinguishers and emergency exits).
“We demand that the truth be established. The investigation carried out is still incomplete, with many unanswered questions. We, the family, feel that the truth has been covered up.”Natalija Gjorgjievska, the wife of one of the slain members of the DNK music group, told the press at a concert on the night of the fire. On behalf of the family, he asked members of parliament to form a special commission to investigate the fire.
One of the trials related to the fire is scheduled to begin Wednesday at a court in the capital. Among the 34 people charged are a serving minister, two former ministers, a nightclub owner, a building supervisor, as well as three former mayors of Kocani. They were charged by the public prosecutor “causing serious harm to public security”.
Dozens of police officers and civil servants are under suspicion in separate investigations into corruption and organized crime related to the tragedy.
