Nightclub tragedy in North Macedonia hits a generation already doubting its future

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — The deadly nightclub fire in North Macedonia at the weekend has struck the young of this country the most, with the emotional devastation it brought apparent everywhere, from classrooms to the streets.

Most of the victims — the 59 killed and dozens injured in a frantic escape — were in their late teens or early 20s, enjoying a night out with friends at Club Pulse in the eastern town of Kocani. There was live music, drinks and dancing until flames ripped through the packed club.

Now the nation’s youth, already doubtful about its future amid the young republic's economic troubles, has been at the forefront of an outpouring of grief and anger. The disaster also exposed deep-seated frustrations among them.

In a language school in Skopje, the nation’s capital, 14-year-old Mila Krstevska said she is shocked and disappointed.

“I am very angry about everything that happened," she told The Associated Press, her voice shaking. "It's a sad thing to go to a disco to have fun and then turn to ashes.”

“I am disappointed in our country," she added. "I love Macedonia but I would like to go abroad when I am older.”

North Macedonia's unemployment rate is 12.8%, the second-highest in Europe, according to the International Monetary Fund. Almost one-fifth of those aged 15-24 are neither working nor in school or getting training, according to most-recent data from the International Labor Organization.

The tiny Balkan nation has been on the candidate list to join the European Union for 20 years, but the process has been held up by disputes with neighbors and the slow pace of vital reforms, undermined by volatile partisan politics and stagnation, has dimmed residents' prospects. Polling in 2024 shows that they support EU membership, but less than 20% believe their nation will join within five years.

Corruption is another dispiriting feature. The Berlin-based monitor Transparency International ranked North Macedonia in 88th place globally on its Corruption Perception Index last year, one of the worst in Europe.

Authorities say Club Pulse had numerous and serious safety violations, while Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the venue’s operating licence was for the wrong type of establishment and potentially obtained illegally.

“Today the disco is burned, tomorrow other buildings or schools will burn if the situation continues to be like this (with corruption),” Veljko Krstevski, a security guard at the club who survived the fire, said at a protest. “At the same time we also know that many of our politicians with forged diplomas are taking high positions. Then how do you expect people in this town, or this country, to feel like that there can be any change?”

The country's population shrank by nearly 10% over the past two decades, dropping below 2 million, according to census data. Most of those who leave are young people seeking better opportunities elsewhere.

For those left behind, Sunday’s fire is the first major tragedy for their generation, born after North Macedonia’s independence from war-torn former Yugoslavia. Candlelight vigils and demonstrations in the wake of the tragedy have been led by the young.

“I am hurt, revolted, angry and very sad… I’m angry at everything, at the system, at people who failed to align with security measures, at parents who didn’t stop their kids from going to the nightclub,” said Aleksandra Petrovska, 28, an e-business specialist. “I love this country, I love to be here for now, but if this chaos doesn’t change, I will seriously think about leaving.”

At one vigil this week in Kocani, a town of about 25,000 people, students dressed in black knelt silently, placing thin yellow candles in trays of sand, their flames flickering in the night.

Nearby, angry youths began chanting “Justice! Justice!” overturned a van as police stood by without stepping in, then used chairs and umbrella stands to trash a cafeteria run by one of the nightclub's owners.

As the nation mourns, soccer games have been postponed, schools are holding vigils, television presenters are dressed in black on air. Flowers and candles are left in central locations of every town and city.

Skopje social worker and therapist Tanja Marcekic said the fire has profoundly impacted young people.

“There is a sense of revolt and great dissatisfaction. We all feel it,” she said.

But, she added, there could be a small silver lining. “I also see another side of young people — how they organize themselves, how they want to help and be active. Maybe that is the best way to improve their mental health.”

In Kocani, home to about 25,000 people, every family was touched by the disaster.

“I am a parent of two. I can’t even talk — sorry. It's very sad," said Branko Bogatinov. His grown children, who left North Macedonia to pursue a better life in Germany, used to visit the nightclub when they were still in school.

“This could have happened to anyone,” he said.