In his Ilinden remarks, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev insisted that the fight of the Krusevo rebels against the Ottoman Empire was “for the future, not for the past”.

This comment was an attempt by the Prime Minister to paint his approach toward the Macedonian history, which includes acknowledging that neighboring countries have sole “ownership” over the Macedonian history is forward thinking. Zaev also emphasized the inter-ethnic character of the 1903 Ilinden Uprising, as opposed to its role for the struggle for Macedonian nationhood.

We continue to overcome the divisions, we are all Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Serbs, Vlachs, Bosniaks, Roma, we have a patriotic duty to reconcile between ourselves, Zaev said.

The event was marred by arrests of would-be protesters as well as by the move by organizers to stop the VMRO-DPMNE delegation from visiting the grave of Nikola Karev and the site of the Sliva battle. The celebration was also marred by the highly divisive moves by Zaev to give up on the Macedonian history and national heroes, which contributed to daily humiliations and insults from neighboring countries.

Ilinden is the symbol of the creation fo the Macedonian state. Ilinden is also the day when we have to preserve the Republic of Macedonia, at a time when it is attacked on all sides, is defaced, humiliated and economically devastated. Let’s preserve our country for the sake of the people who gave their lives in 1903 and wanted us to have a better future and to have a Macedonian state, said VMRO-DPMNE deputy leader Aleksandar Nikoloski.

During the gathering at Meckin Kamen, a group of attendees was clearly organized by Zaev’s SDSM party, sent there to try and drown out the critical chants from other citizens. The SDSM affiliated group was chanting “Zoki, Zoki”, for Zaev, but also booed at any chant critical of the imposed name change. The rival groups carried different flags – EU flags and the current Macedonian flag for the SDSM led group, and the old flag featuring the Kutles star for the group critical of Zaev.