VMRO-DPMNE denounced the protest SDSM and affiliated NGO groups organized on Monday evening, where protesters threw rocks at the Justice Ministry and attacked police officers while trying to bring down a statue near the Parliament building.
"VMRO-DPMNE strongly condemns the arson attacks, demolitions, and vandalism on the part of the SDSM and Soros hooligans. They created chaos, disturbed the security and peace of the citizens and caused enormous material damage to our public institutions", said ilija Dimovski, coordinator of the VMRO-DPMNE group in Parliament. Dimovski said that SDSM hired a group of masked hooligans with the goal of inciting hatred among the public and trying to bring about a wider confrontation.
"We realize that is their ultimate goal", Dimovski said. NGO groups funded through the George Soros Open Society Foundation were announcing the protests for weeks, declaring it a moment when "the people will take justice in their own hands".
Protests initially started against the decision of President Gjorge Ivanov to issue pardons to politicians from both VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM over a number of charges, pardons which been revoked for over a month. Organizers, who are required to maintain the peace at the protests, did not give a clear goal of the rally, which dispersed after the failed attempt to bring down a statue. A number of supporters of the opposition afterwards publicly complained that the protest did not have a clear goal, and no strategy for the day after. The Protest coalition of NGO groups announced that it is now consulting for its further steps.
Dimovski said that more reasonable SDSM members refused the call of their party to descend to the capital, aware that the rally may end in violence. "SDSM failed to fill the buses they chartered for the rally. Many SDSM members feel patriotism toward their country and refuse to take part in Zoran Zaev's dangerous scenarios", Dimovski said. SDSM and the NGO groups had a turnout estimated a little over 10.000 people, many of them brought from Strumica or Kumanovo, where SDSM holds the mayoral offices. Protesters asked for the Government to resign, angry at the fact that SDSM representatives were removed from the broad Government once the opposition party refused to take part in the elections scheduled for June 5.
SDSM responded to Dimovski's press conference on Tuesday claiming that "tens of thousands of protesters have shown that their patience with the Government is at the end". "VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski saw what it means when the people begin to roil. We ask that the Constitutional Court decides on the constitutionality of the Special Prosecutor. We want an end to the persecution of protesters, responsibility for the criminals in office and rule of law. We want a Government that will create conditions for free, fair, democratic and credible elections", SDSM said in its press release.
Skopje Mayor Koce Trajanovski, elected on the VMRO-DPMNE ticket, called on SDSM to stop bringing in protesters from outside of the capital to cause damage to the public institutions. SDSM and its allies have been using paintballs to target a number of buildings, and in some cases have smashed windows and tried to set furniture to fire. "They can come, have a good time and return to their cities, but we demand that they stop coming to terrorise and destroy our capital", Trajanovski said.