site.btaThousands Join March of the Angels in Skopje, Led by Parents of Victims of Pulse Disco Fire
Thousands of citizens of North Macedonia joined the first March of the Angels to be held in Skopje, organized by the association of the parents of those who died in the March 16 fire at the Pulse disco in Kocani, eastern North Macedonia, and by the Who's Next? movement. "We parents have paid a high price for corruption", "63 shadows will follow you - every glance demands justice", "How many children must die before you wake up?", "Who will bring our friends back?", "Silence is complicity", "Profit in blood", and "Raise your voice before it is too late" read some of the hand-written banners carried by participants in the march.
From Macedonia Square, where the citizens gathered, the march, led by the parents carrying the victims' photos, proceeded towards the parliament building.
The fire that took place during a concert of the DNK band in the Pulse club in Kocani claimed 63 lives and injured more than 200 people. The victims' parents have staged March of the Angels rallies in Kocani every Saturday since then.
The wife of Andrej Gjorgjieski of the DNK band said: "We have lost something that can never be returned to us. We speak as parents, as families and as people who have realized that the tragedy in Kocani can happen to anyone and that no one is protected, because the institutions are not doing their job. This is not a political appeal, it is an appeal for justice, truth and humanity." She called on the MPs to initiate a supervisory hearing and a committee of inquiry to investigate the case in detail and identify all institutional failures.
Speaking outside parliament, a representative of the Who's Next? movement said the 99-kilometre route from Kocani to Skopje had become "a journey through grief, anger and determination" for those who travelled it. It was also 99 km of hope "that we will not forget and will not give in". He added that the parents were demanding a trial that would hold all responsible to account, and warned that people in North Macedonia should not have to fear that a fire may claim their children's lives in a nightclub or in a hospital or while travelling by bus. He criticized MPs for not joining the march, saying they had therefore not felt the families' pain. Protesters chanted "How can they sleep?" and "Justice for Kocani".
The father of one of the victims told the crowd that people "give power and can take it away", and called for unity, saying the families were living only for justice. He said he wanted his son Aleksandar to know "who is to blame for his death", adding that the tragedy had destroyed their lives and must not be forgotten or left unresolved.
The first hearing of the case in which 34 individuals and three legal entities have been charged is scheduled for November 19.
Families of the victims said they were acting as the voice of their loved ones and demanded a prompt, transparent and impartial trial that would establish all responsibilities. They stressed that 63 people had died and more than 300 had been injured, and called for accountability, not sympathy. Speaking outside the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje, they urged judges to ensure a fair trial when the main hearing begins on November 19.
/DD/
Additional
news.modal.image.header
news.modal.image.text
news.modal.download.header
news.modal.download.text
news.modal.header
news.modal.text