On the afternoon of 5 October, demolition began on part of the stalls at Bit-Pazar, Skopje's old bazaar market. People on social media are already saying that "the Bit-Pazar stalls are passing into history", as the face of one of the city's oldest and most recognisable markets changes before passers-by.

Who is tearing them down and why - there is no clear answer to that yet. Some of the published reports say the City of Skopje started the works and that city services are on site. But when the City was asked whether it had received a request to remove the stalls, it pointed to the Municipality of Čair, saying it had no jurisdiction.

The stalls are reportedly owned by a private company. The Municipality of Čair has no detailed information about their removal for now, and has promised a fuller explanation later.

Thousands of people pass through Bit-Pazar every day, and nobody has officially said anything about what the space will look like after the demolition. When the face of an entire market is being changed, shouldn't we see the plans first and the bulldozer second? And where will the people who worked these stalls sell from now?