- GO BACK HOME! - with this kind of shouts in Macedonian language, a group of about 50 Greek neo-nazis protested on the Macedonian/Greek border crossing, Medzitlija/Niki. The messages were intended for the bus from Bitola which was transporting folklorists from the Macedonian Cultural Artistic Society "Ilinden" from Sydney, Australia.
Although the musicians and dancers crossed the Macedonian - Greek border almost without a problem (they were all searched in details), using their Australian passports, they still could not reach the village of Ovcharani (a few miles from the border), where they were due to perform at the all-Macedonian gathering which observes the religious holiday "Ilinden" (St. Elijah's Day). After three hours, the ensemble decided to go back, because the Greek police told them they can not provide them a safe passage through the Nazi group.
- "There were about fifty extremists at the border crossing in Greece, which yelled: 'Go back home!'. We asked the police to escort the bus to the nearby village Ovcharani, but they told us they can't. Considering that the majority of the folklore ensemble consists of teenagers, we decided to go back.' - said Sasho Vladimirovski from the "Teo Travel" tourist agency in Bitola.
Returning back disappointed the folk dancers which traveled thousands of kilometers for this event.
- 'My grandmother was forced out of her birth village when she was six years old. She is carrying a big stain on her soul because she was never allowed to go back and see her home. The only information she could get was from my performance in her birthplace.' - said Suzana Gjurovska (15) from Sydney. The management of "Ilinden" is also shocked, because on their journey, they traveled through many European countries that consider themselves as "democratic", and they felt welcome everywhere but in Greece.
- 'This is an example how our people live there, if their relatives cannot come to visit them, and they also can not speak their own language, or declare themselves as Macedonians.' - said Slavica Josifovska, president of the cultural artistic ensemble "Ilinden".
Besides the ensemble "Ilinden", several groups of Macedonian news crews experienced difficulties when they were returned back from the border by the Greek customs officials. The reason for this ban was that their "documentation was not complete", although all members of the news crews had passports with special visas for conducting reporter's work in Greece.
However, after a lot of waiting, but under police protection, the Macedonian national ensemble "Tanec" entered Greece. They perform traditionally every year at the Ilinden fair in Ovcharani. However, there were complaints that this year a loud audio system was installed very near to the scene, in order to obstruct the celebration.
Anyway, Macedonians exist not only in Macedonia, but in today's Greece, too. It is mission impossible to erase a complete nation with today's technology and intercommunication, something that was easier to do for the Greek fascistic politics in the past decades. Macedonians have been patient in fighting for their rights and recognition and no matter how many hysteric attacks are made by Greece, we will make sure the truth comes out in the open - especially for the manipulated Greeks who are lied for decades.
Link: Greek neo-nazis forced out Macedonian dancers (Dnevnik).
Although the musicians and dancers crossed the Macedonian - Greek border almost without a problem (they were all searched in details), using their Australian passports, they still could not reach the village of Ovcharani (a few miles from the border), where they were due to perform at the all-Macedonian gathering which observes the religious holiday "Ilinden" (St. Elijah's Day). After three hours, the ensemble decided to go back, because the Greek police told them they can not provide them a safe passage through the Nazi group.
- "There were about fifty extremists at the border crossing in Greece, which yelled: 'Go back home!'. We asked the police to escort the bus to the nearby village Ovcharani, but they told us they can't. Considering that the majority of the folklore ensemble consists of teenagers, we decided to go back.' - said Sasho Vladimirovski from the "Teo Travel" tourist agency in Bitola.
Returning back disappointed the folk dancers which traveled thousands of kilometers for this event.
- 'My grandmother was forced out of her birth village when she was six years old. She is carrying a big stain on her soul because she was never allowed to go back and see her home. The only information she could get was from my performance in her birthplace.' - said Suzana Gjurovska (15) from Sydney. The management of "Ilinden" is also shocked, because on their journey, they traveled through many European countries that consider themselves as "democratic", and they felt welcome everywhere but in Greece.
- 'This is an example how our people live there, if their relatives cannot come to visit them, and they also can not speak their own language, or declare themselves as Macedonians.' - said Slavica Josifovska, president of the cultural artistic ensemble "Ilinden".
Besides the ensemble "Ilinden", several groups of Macedonian news crews experienced difficulties when they were returned back from the border by the Greek customs officials. The reason for this ban was that their "documentation was not complete", although all members of the news crews had passports with special visas for conducting reporter's work in Greece.
However, after a lot of waiting, but under police protection, the Macedonian national ensemble "Tanec" entered Greece. They perform traditionally every year at the Ilinden fair in Ovcharani. However, there were complaints that this year a loud audio system was installed very near to the scene, in order to obstruct the celebration.
Anyway, Macedonians exist not only in Macedonia, but in today's Greece, too. It is mission impossible to erase a complete nation with today's technology and intercommunication, something that was easier to do for the Greek fascistic politics in the past decades. Macedonians have been patient in fighting for their rights and recognition and no matter how many hysteric attacks are made by Greece, we will make sure the truth comes out in the open - especially for the manipulated Greeks who are lied for decades.
Link: Greek neo-nazis forced out Macedonian dancers (Dnevnik).
