The Bitola council has unanimously adopted a resolution against hate speech at sporting events and public celebrations. The initiative came from SDSM's group in the council, after a specific incident involving athletes at a celebration. That bit of the story is worth attention.

The text of the resolution is clear: the council "most sharply condemns all forms of hate speech, insulting, vulgar, demeaning and inappropriate verbal conduct at sporting events and public gatherings - regardless of which club, group or individual provokes it." Sporting achievements, the Bitola councillors say, should be celebrated "publicly with dignity, with respect for the opponent - not through messages that create divisions, hatred, insults and humiliation."

The resolution is being sent on to the Football Federation of Macedonia, the Ministry of Sport, local clubs and the public. In other words: a call to action for the competent institutions - including the Disciplinary Commission, which in recent years has cleared many athletes and fans of responsibility despite obvious breaches of the rules.

Will a resolution like this carry any real weight? The track record of Macedonian sports rulebooks suggests not. We've had declarations against hooligans. We've had calls against hate speech. It all works until a well-known figure or club is actually meant to be punished. Then suddenly "gaps in the evidence" or "need for additional procedure" appear.

Bitola, as a city with a serious handball, basketball and football tradition, can lead by example. But only if the resolution doesn't stay a sheet of paper. The question: who'll be the first case where the Bitola council actually demands enforcement of its own ruling? Will the council have the spine to do it, or is it just being produced ahead of the local elections to look active?