VIDEO “The system kills”: Thousands of people protested in North Macedonia / They demanded justice for the 63 victims of the fire in a nightclub / The trial of 34 defendants begins on Wednesday
Relatives of the victims of the nightclub fire, which occurred on March 16, 2025, carry photographs of those lost during a march for justice, organized in Skopje on November 15, 2025. Photo: Robert ATANASOVSKI / AFP / Profimedia
Thousands of people marched on Saturday in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, in support of the families of the victims of the fire that killed 63 people in March in a club in the east of the country, reports AFP, according to Agerpres.
The demonstration was organized a few days before the start of the trial, on Wednesday, in connection with the Kocani tragedy.
“63 Shadows Will Follow You”
Demonstrators joined relatives of the victims and marched through the center of the capital behind a large banner with portraits of the deceased and the message: “63 shadows will follow you.”
The crowd stopped in front of the parliament and then a court, chanting: “Justice for Kocani”.
People carried signs that read “The system kills” and “How many more children do you have to lose before you wake up?”.
How the tragedy happened
The fire broke out on the night of March 15-16, during a hip-hop concert in a disco in Kocani, and left 63 dead and nearly 200 injured, causing shock in North Macedonia.
The fire was started by fireworks, in a stuffy hall that did not meet security standards, missing fire extinguishers and emergency exits.
“We demand that the truth be established. The investigation that took place remains incomplete, with many questions left unanswered. We, the families, are left with the feeling that the truth is being hidden from us,” Natalija Gjorgjievska, the wife of one of the deceased DNK singers, told the media.
On behalf of the families, she called on MPs to set up a special commission of inquiry into the fire.
One of the trials related to the fire will begin on Wednesday in front of a court in Skopje.
Among the 34 defendants are a minister in office, two former ministers, the owner of the discotheque, construction inspectors, three former mayors of Kocani.
They are accused of “causing serious harm to public security”.
In connection with the tragedy, dozens of police officers and civil servants are suspected in a separate investigation into corruption and organized crime.
