CID joined the European Week against racism by raising awareness of Kumanovo’s citizens about hate speech and swastika in graffiti around the city.

The town authorities and the people in general qualify these graffiti as “children play” so the CID tried to raise the awareness that nevertheless the authors of hate speech graffiti are children it’s the parents and teachers role to raise them as conscious and acceptant citizens.

Doing nothing against such graffiti in Macedonia is a common approach for everyone, but it sends a message that the society accepts this kind of behavior from its youth. On the other hand, the country is facing one of the worst periods when it comes to youth violence especially among young people who are constantly fighting in busses, schools, streets and playgrounds.

On the 21st of March a young team of five people went through Kumanovo to search for swastika and graffiti. The tour was succesful. More than eight insulting paintings with “Heil Hitler”-tags and swastika were found and the group of volunteers hung poster of UNITED next to call attention! And they spread the posters in the whole city and explained to curious pedestrian the meaning of the day.

Today you can still find the poster in the city.

Also, on the 26th of March our international Volunteers organized an unplugged concert and educational session on rasism in MultiKulti Youth Center, having a good time with cookies, playing games and sharing experiences of racism.

Note: The above mention activities were organized in the framework of the pan-European network UNITED, where CID is a member. For more info please visit: http://www.unitedagainstracism.org

Vivien Vieth