SKOPJE, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The hate crime in North Macedonia in 2018 was on the rise and 123 incidents were registered from 70 compared to the previous year, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights said in a press release here on Monday.
The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights presented at a press conference the Annual Report on Hate Crimes for 2018 in North Macedonia on the occasion of the European Day of Victims of Hate Crime.
According to the report, in 2018 in North Macedonia a total of 123 incidents of hate crime were registered, up from 70 registered in 2017.
The report shows that the majority or 64.2 percent of the incidents have been carried out on account of ethnicity, 25.2 percent on account of political affiliation and the rest for other reasons, involving violence, property damages as well as body injuries.
The increasing trend in hate crimes continues in 2019, when a total of 109 incidents were registered only in June.
Speaking at the press conference, Executive Director of the Helsinki Committee Uranija Pirovska said that there is a need "for less talk and more action."
"It is vital to take hate speech seriously, because not dealing with it means producing hate crime incidents and acts," Pirovska said.
According to the report, most of the victims or perpetrators are young people, mainly minors.
"This fact indicates that the country is not investing enough in education in order to develop tolerance, understanding and coexistence," Pirovska added.
Pirovska underlined that the state must undertake concrete steps to overcome the situation and urged the courts and public prosecution to act on the charges filed.
