Macedonia

After Macedonia's annexation and partition in 1912-1913, Greece instituted policies to forcibly assimilate the Macedonian population within its newly acquired territories. Those who could not be assimilated were either executed or expelled from the country.

Macedonians who would not comply with Greece's racist policies became political refugees, seeking shelter throughout the world. Most of them emigrated to Europe, Canada, the United States and later to Australia. By sheer force and terror, Greece managed to silence the Macedonians living within its borders.

As the Macedonian refugees built up their numbers in the democratic nations of the Diaspora, they built Macedonian churches, formed Macedonian cultural organizations and generally reverted to practicing their Macedonian mother tongue and culture. This complicated Greek assimilation efforts and clashed with Greece's desire to extinguish all things Macedonian.

The solution was for Greece to further its policies abroad by forming organizations such as the Pan-Macedonian Association. Through such groups, Greece, under the guise of promoting and protecting "Hellenism," works to suppress the Macedonian emigrant population

Actions in the form of threats and blackmail are taken against Macedonians, who publicly assert their Macedonian identity. Threats are carried out by bringing harm to their relatives living in Greece. This often involves confiscation of property, loss of employment, imprisonment and worse.

The Pan-Macedonian Association's activities also include the promotion and dissemination of Greek propaganda, infiltration of Macedonian organizations, instigation of takeovers of Macedonian village associations and generally making every attempt to extinguish the Macedonian culture wherever it exists. Besides terrorizing Macedonian emigrants, the Pan-Macedonians also spy on tourists and reported their activities to the Greek security services.

In addition to the covert activities mentioned above, under the guise of promoting "Hellenism," the Pan-Macedonian Association is also involved in anti-Macedonian lobbies and promoting misinformation campaigns against the Republic of Macedonia. In launching this latest petition, the Pan-Macedonian Association exposes itself as a Greek appendage intent on interfering in the affairs of another state.

The Press Release on Macedonia's Permanent Name

Before I address the Pan-Macedonian Association's press release, please allow me to point out a couple issues facing Greece today;

1. Among others, there is a Macedonian national minority living in Greece, which Greece refuses to recognize on the absurd pretence that the Modern Greek state is racially homogeneous. Greece categorically denies the existence of any ethnic or national minorities living within its borders and misrepresents itself as being a pure state.

2. Greece still refuses to acknowledge its northern neighbour, the Republic of Macedonia, by its constitutional name on the pretence that it has territorial claims against Greece. To ease Greek anxieties the Macedonian parliament went so far as to modify its constitution to explicitly state that Macedonia has no territorial claims toward any of its neighbours.

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•The Pan-Macedonian claim: "There is an ongoing effort, emanating from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, to falsely link the present day Slavic inhabitants of that Republic with the ancient Macedonians who were indisputably Hellenic."

The claim that the ancient Macedonians were "indisputably Hellenic" is highly dubious. In any case, why use political petitions and ethnic lobbies to decide historical issues? Why not leave such matters to academics and historians?

•The Pan-Macedonian claim: "With this falsification of history, the FYROM is attempting to establish a claim on Hellenic territory."

It is unrealistic and somewhat embarrassing for Greece to claim that an economically strapped, emerging democracy like the Republic of Macedonia is a threat to its territorial integrity. Greece is five times the size of Macedonia and is a member of the UN, the EU and NATO. One cannot view this as a serious argument.

•The Pan-Macedonian claim: "The original Macedonians, descendants of the Heracleides, occupied the region in 2000 BC. The ancient Macedonians were part of a large group, which reached the area of present day Kastoria (Orestis) along with the Dorians, Acarnanians and Aetolians. According to Herodotus, the Father of History, after the group split into smaller ones, one of the groups established the Kingdom of Macedonia around 2000 BC."

The above statement, and the use of mythological stories in general, is not "proof" that the ancient Macedonians were Greek. Does the Pan-Macedonian Association propose that the International Community stop using the name Macedonia to refer to the Republic of Macedonia because of what Herodotus said 2,500 years ago?

If this is the basis of the Greek argument then perhaps the International Community should also consider the statements of the great Athenian orator, Demosthenes, who 2,500 years ago declared the ancient Macedonians to be a non-kindred race of barbarians.

•The Pan-Macedonian claim: "The Slavs did not arrive in the region until the sixth century AD."

Here the Pan-Macedonian Association skims the surface of reality and acknowledges that Slavonic peoples have been in Macedonia since 1,500 years ago.

•The Pan-Macedonian claim: "Until 1944, the area that is now legally referred to as the FYROM was called "Vardarska Banovina"."

This claim is disingenuous as the Republic of Macedonia was only referred to as Vardarska Banovina from 1913 to 1944. The Pan-Macedonian Association is well aware that the region, now referred to as "Geographical Macedonia," was called "Macedonia" from the 4th century BC until 1912-1913, when it was forcibly occupied and partitioned among Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria.

The Pan-Macedonian Association is also aware that "FYROM" is an interim reference and not the "name" of the Republic of Macedonia. FYROM is a temporary designation for use within the United Nations.

•The Pan-Macedonian claim: "The Hellenic name of Macedonia was usurped by Yugoslavia's Communist dictator Marshall Broz Tito when he sought to gain access to the Aegean Sea by attempting to annex the province of Macedonia from neighboring Greece."

By fighting against the fascist factions during World War II, the blood spilled by the Macedonians of Yugoslavia was recognized and they were granted the right to refer to themselves by their national name. No Hellenic term was "usurped" when the Macedonian sacrifice was acknowledged by Tito nor did Yugoslavia attack Greece.

After Macedonia was partitioned by Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria in 1912-1913, the name "Macedonia" was erased from their respective national maps. Let me remind the Pan-Macedonian Association that after 1913 the Greek occupied part of Macedonia was called the new territories and re-named "Northern Greece". Let me also remind them that during the Metaxas period use of the term "Macedonia" was suppressed.

Greece was more than willing to be rid of the name Macedonia until the late 1980s when it became clear that Yugoslavia was disintegrating and the Macedonians wanted independence.

By now the Greek government must understand that ethnic Macedonians will preserve the name Macedonia, as they have always done. They have absolutely no interest in usurping Greek history and culture, which they consider foreign. Macedonians will never allow their own history and culture to be eradicated and forcibly "vanished".

•The Pan-Macedonian claim: "The hostile, false, and hate - filled propaganda directed at Greece today from FYROM and its Diaspora was originated by the tyrannical Yugoslav dictator Marshall Broz Tito."

The Macedonian people fought to liberate their nation 100 years ago, when they rose up against the Ottoman Turks during the Ilinden uprising of August 2, 1903. May I point out that this seminal event occurred when the Yugoslav dictator, Josip Broz Tito, was only eleven years old. The Pan-Macedonian Association may wish to check its facts.

I am familiar with the Macedonian issue, especially since I am an ethnic Macedonian who grew up in Greece. The only hostile, false and hate-filled propaganda I see is that from racist organizations like the Pan-Macedonian Association who derive their inspiration from Athens.

The Pan-Macedonian Association supports "Macedonian" issues in the same way the Ku Klux Klan supports African-American and Jewish issues. That is to say, it is a racist organization and anti-Macedonian in the extreme. Using the word "Macedonian" in its name cannot obfuscate this fact.

•The Pan-Macedonian claim: "We the Hellenes throughout the world, who reside in Greece and throughout the Diaspora, the philhellenes and those who believe in historical facts and in international regulations, that are respected by all civilized people, would like to present this petition to American President George W. Bush, the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, the European Union, the United Nations, to the Prime Minister of Hellas, Mr. Simitis and to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Papandreou. We urge all Hellenes to help resist the theft of Hellenic history and culture by the FYROM."

It is ironic that the very same organization, which for decades has waged war on the rights of the Macedonian people, is now crying foul. Has the Pan-Macedonian Association thought for a moment of the rights of those Macedonians whose culture it is attempting to exterminate?

By the Pan-Macedonian Association's own admission, Slavonic tribes were in Macedonia since the sixth century AD, some 1,500 years ago. Clearly, the ancient Macedonians and the ancient Greeks are long gone. The Greek government and the Pan-Macedonian Association need to end the propaganda and acknowledge reality.

•The Pan-Macedonian claim: "This petition declares that the name, history, and culture of Macedonia are unquestionably Hellenic and that a final settlement with the FYROM must not permit them the use of the name Macedonia."

While the Republic of Macedonia has made enormous efforts to become democratic in every respect, especially in the recognition of its minorities and in fostering and promoting multiculturalism, Greece, has done the opposite.

Greece has tirelessly worked to eradicate and silence its minorities through torture, intimidation, assimilation and expulsion. As a consequence of such racist policies, today there are hundreds of thousands of Macedonians living in the Diaspora. To this we can include the tens of thousands of Macedonian refugee children who were evacuated during the Greek Civil War and who are still denied re-entry because they refuse to falsify their Macedonian heritage and declare themselves as "Greeks by genus."

It must be clearly stated that the Pan-Macedonian Association is merely a political tool for carrying out Greece's discriminatory policies abroad. It is nothing more than Greece's Gestapo in the Diaspora.

You can contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com