EditThousands rally in Skopje ahead of trial for North Macedonia’s deadliest nightclub fire
The fire at the nightclub in Kocani in the early hours of 16 March 2025 claimed the lives of 63 people and left over 100 injured
Thousands of mourners and supporters flooded the streets of North Macedonia’s capital on Saturday, marching in a sombre procession to demand accountability for the victims of the country’s worst fire disaster in modern history.
The demonstration, dubbed the “Angels March,” came just days before the first hearing in a high-stakes trial against 34 individuals and three companies accused of negligence and corruption that enabled the tragedy at the Pulse nightclub in the eastern town of Kocani.
The 16 March blaze erupted during a hip-hop concert by the popular Macedonian duo DNK, drawing an estimated 650 revellers – more than double the venue’s legal capacity of around 300 – to the unlicensed club in Kocani, a quiet mining town of about 25,000 residents located roughly 80 kilometres east of Skopje
Sparks from indoor pyrotechnics, specifically perpendicular “gerbs” lit by the performers around 2:32 a.m., ignited the highly flammable foam ceiling, engulfing the space in thick, toxic smoke within minutes.
Panic ensued as patrons, mostly young adults aged 16 to 26, scrambled for the venue’s sole exit—a narrow, unguarded door that quickly became a deadly bottleneck.
The fire claimed 63 lives, including band member Andrej Gjorgjieski, and injured over 200 others, many suffering from smoke inhalation or crush injuries.
It marked Europe’s deadliest nightclub fire since the 2015 Colectiv blaze in Bucharest, Romania, which killed 64.
Dressed in black and clutching large portraits of the deceased, grieving families led the rally from Skopje’s central Macedonia Square to the parliament building and the Criminal Court, their path lined with banners bearing haunting messages: “63 shadows will follow you,” “The system kills,” and “How many children must die before you wake up?”
Chants of “Justice for Kocani!” echoed through the crisp autumn air as participants, including civil society groups like the “Who’s Next?” movement, swelled the crowd to several thousand—far beyond the families’ initial call for support.
This marked the 30th such weekly vigil organized by victims’ relatives since the disaster, but the first relocated to the capital to amplify their plea for systemic reform.
Natalija Gjorgjieska, widow of the slain musician Andrej Gjorgjieski, addressed the throng with raw emotion, her voice trembling as she recounted the irreversible loss. “We have lost something that can never be returned to us,” she said. “We demand the truth: Where did the mistakes occur? Who didn’t respond? Which institutions were late? Who had the responsibility to prevent this and did not?”
Corruption kills
Families have long accused a web of corruption – alleged bribes to inspectors and officials allowing the club to operate unchecked for 13 years despite flagrant violations – of turning a preventable incident into a catastrophe.
The Pulse lacked fire sprinklers, adequate emergency exits, and even basic fire extinguishers, operating without a proper license amid overcrowding and unauthorized pyrotechnics.
North Macedonian prosecutors have indicted 34 individuals – including the club’s owner, security guards, building inspectors, three former Kocani mayors, a current government minister, and two ex-ministers – along with three companies tied to the venue’s security and operations.
They face charges of “provoking serious acts against public safety,” with potential penalties of up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
A parallel probe by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption has implicated dozens more police officers and officials in bribery and procurement irregularities related to the pyrotechnics.
The 166-page indictment, filed in June, paints a damning picture of “systemic failings, inaction, and corruption” that made the disaster “predictable,” according to a Balkan Insight analysis.
Bojan Eftimov, a representative of the “Who’s Next?” civil movement, captured the crowd’s defiant spirit amid the grief. “There is hope that we will not forget, hope that we will not give up, and hope that we will finally have a proceeding in this country in which everyone—everyone—responsible will be held accountable,” he declared, emphasizing that the accusations extend beyond low-level enablers to the institutions that failed to act.
Families, through the 16 March Association, have reiterated calls for a special parliamentary inquiry to expose higher-level complicity, a fair trial free from delays or evidence tampering, and broader reforms to nightclub safety regulations.
“What we are asking for is not a favor or privilege, but an obligation of the state—a transparent and timely trial,” one parent stated in a pre-rally video message.
In the fire’s immediate aftermath, authorities launched a nationwide crackdown, shuttering three licensed nightclubs for violations and revoking pyrotechnics permits from 12 firms.
The government declared three days of national mourning and vowed reforms, but families argue that without rooting out entrenched corruption, such tragedies remain a looming threat. As one father of a victim told the crowd, “People give power and can take it away – unite for justice.”
The trial’s opening session is slated for 19 November at Skopje’s Basic Criminal Court, where prosecutors will present evidence from the sprawling investigation. For the families, it’s not just about punishment but prevention: a chance to ensure no parent endures the nightmare of losing a child to “profit in blood,” as one banner starkly put it.
Sources: Reuters, BTA, AP, Al Jazeera, Balkan Insight.
Caption: The parents and relatives of the victims of the fire in the night club in Kocani hold the pictures of their late children during a march for justice in front of the Parliament building in the capital Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia, 15 November 2025. The fire at a discotheque in Kocani in the early hours of 16 March 2025 claimed the lives of 63 people and left over 100 injured. The trial for the victims of the catastrophe in Kochani begins on 19 November in Skopje. EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKI
Updated: November 16, 2025 - 18:20
