The Macedonia Interior Ministry has a special defense unit; The Lions. The Lions were created as a special "rapid reaction force" during Macedonia's war with the Albanian NLA. However, the force served primarily as a security unit for Macedonian Slav villages. All members of The Lions were Macedonian Slavs. Now the current Macedonian government has decided to disband The Lions. However, Lions vets don't agree. From January 23 through 24, an estimated 1,000 Lions confronted Macedonian police forces at a border crossing post (Blace) between Macedonia and Kosovo. The protesting Lions want all of their former members integrated into the new Macedonian interior security forces.