An estimated 10,000 students from all ethnicities rallied in cities across Macedonia on Wednesday to express their protest against the idea of introducing a state-supervised exam at universities.

"We have been silent long enough," "Stop bad reforms," "Your eyes do not deceive you, students have something to say," "Professors, speak your minds" "External testing for the government" read some of the signs written in Macedonian, Albanian and English that students at the main protest in Macedonia's capital, Skopje, carried while marching from the campus of the University of Ss Cyril and Methodius past the parliament building all to the way to the government building.

They were joined by professors, students from Tetovo, parents, hundreds of high school pupils, pensioners and redundant employees. The march went peacefully without any incidents and without any party symbols whatsoever.