One of the incidents reported during yesterday’s Ilinden Uprising gathering in Krusevo involved reports that the group of supporters bussed in by the ruling SDSM party were chanting “Severna” (north) at the group of critics of Zoran Zaev and the imposed name change into “North” Macedonia.

Few Macedonians agree with the name change, and fewer still are enthusiastic about it, or would be caught dead favorably chanting the adjective. So, after the incident was reported, Zaev supporters, through their PR machine, began insisting that the audio is doctored, or that those who changed “Severna” were actually supporters of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, trying to embarrass the SDSM supporters. This was claimed despite reports that one of the organizers of the SDSM group himself confirmed that it was they who started the chant, after VMRO supporters were heard chanting “Never North” at Zaev.

Today, journalist Furkan Saliu posted a video from a different angle which shows that it was in fact SDSM supporters chanting “Severna” – precisely what was denied by some top level Zaev spin doctors such as the would be head of his “anti-fake-news task force” Marjan Zabrcanec. Zabrcanec insisted that the video is a “shameful montage, fake production from basement dwelling centers for manipulation..”.

This use of the term “fake news” by Government officials s undermining the already poor level of trust which citizens have in the media. Are they doing this on purpose? I’m still not sure, I’d like to believe that the Government is actually in shambles, said journalist Furkan Saliu, who posted the video.

SDSM supporters were carrying European Union flags and the “new” flag, adopted to replace the Kutles Star flag on request from Greece. Their overall chants and comments to the press were supportive of Zaev’s speech which, while given at a historic site, insisted that the country should let history be and focus on the future. VMRO supporters, on the other hand, carried mostly Kutles Star flags and loudly denounced the imposed name change and loss of sovereignty.

Macedonia is in the fifth year of an intense propaganda campaign, kicked off by SDSM wiith the wiretapping affair. A number of incidents, real or faked, or emotional moments from the recent past, were used for propaganda purposes during this period, and SDSM would spread conspiracy theories about false flag attacks to suit its goals, while VMRO would warn about the dangers for the Macedonian nation and the territorial integrity.