The OSCE Mission to Skopje condemns all forms of racism, antisemitism and intolerance.

On his Facebook page, the Mission calls on members and supporters of all political parties to refrain from voicing and sharing offensive content that denigrates on the basis of ethnicity, religion or belief, or other grounds.

Pre-election periods are times when countries are particularly vulnerable to discriminatory speech and intolerance, which can have serious consequences. Data collected by the Mission and local CSOs during the past seven years shows that hate crime incidents historically increase in Macedonia during pre-election periods, especially on the basis of ethnic identity and political affiliation.

The Mission adds that this is a particularly important time for the country, as Macedonia pursues its strategic objectives. Free, fair, and hate-free elections are essential, OSCE says.