Macedonia Reporter Blames Assault on Ruling Party

Borjan Jovanovski, an editor at NOVA TV, told BIRN that he suspected that an attack on him on Wednesday, when a young man approached him in a Skopje restaurant, shouted "traitor" and spat in his face, was commissioned by a senior official of the ruling VMRO DPMNE party.

"I suspect that it was commissioned by a high-ranking VMRO DPMNE party official who was present in the restaurant," Jovanovski said, adding that he did not wish to reveal the suspect's identity.

"This was obviously a manipulation with minors as the young boy who assaulted me was clearly under age. This is only a culmination of the hate speech that inspires such things. The biggest problem is that for years hate speech has not being sanctioned," Jovanovski said.

The spitting incident, apparently filmed by an unidentified third person, appeared in a video published on social networks.

BIRN could not reach VMRO DPMNE officials on Friday to respond to the claim.

The attack is one of several committed against government critics this week, all reportedly carried out by youngsters.

On Tuesday, A1on news outlet cameraman Vladimir Zelceski and journalist Aleksandar Todevski were attacked by unknown assailants in the centre of Skopje, while reporting on the protest staged by VMRO DPMNE supporters.

VMRO DPMNE later condemned the attack but insisted that it was not responsible for the incident.

In another incident this week, journalist and columnist Branko Trickovski said boys turned up at his home and accused him of being a "traitor."

BIRN Macedonia reporters were also targeted on social networks by supporters of the VMRO DPMNE party this week.

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