One Macedonian has minor injuries and four have been arrested, after incidents which took place yesterday in the area surrounding Lerin (Florina) in Aegean Macedonia. Eleven days ago, after the requests from the local population, the Greek army withdrew from its training camp near the village of Zabrdeni and Ovcharani.
Today, the Greek army returned to the region, but this time they came with lots of policemen, as well as tanks and other large vehicles. The Greek police specialists intervened when the local ethnic Macedonian population tried to stop the Greek army from setting up camp and heavy-military training right next to their village.
The news article is in Macedonian language
Journalist crews from Macedonia, who were investigating the incident in this area predominately populated with ethnic Macedonians, were detained in the police, and "interviewed" in order to establish what they were filming - allegedly, military installations. After spending some time in the police, they were released, but with police escort.
When the journalists tried to interview some local Macedonians, the police stopped them saying that they will just "disturb" them by asking questions, and then escorted them to the Macedonian - Greek border and told them to leave the country.
The official response from Athens is that the incident in the Macedonian villages was provoked (by who?) and that Macedonia is interfering in Greece's internal matters (by trying to protect it's repressed ethnic minority?). The Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski today will notify Brussels on the latest development of events in Aegean Macedonia.
In an interview for a local TV station, he said he is deeply disappointed by the European Union's institutions, who by ignoring his previous appeals for protection of the Macedonian minority in Aegean Macedonia, gave courage to the radical Greek authorities to continue and even increase the repression, which escalated in yesterday's incidents. Such events involving ethnic repression and attempts to silence the media do not correspond to the fact that they are happening in the 21st century, and in a EU member country.
Today, the Greek army returned to the region, but this time they came with lots of policemen, as well as tanks and other large vehicles. The Greek police specialists intervened when the local ethnic Macedonian population tried to stop the Greek army from setting up camp and heavy-military training right next to their village.
The news article is in Macedonian language
Journalist crews from Macedonia, who were investigating the incident in this area predominately populated with ethnic Macedonians, were detained in the police, and "interviewed" in order to establish what they were filming - allegedly, military installations. After spending some time in the police, they were released, but with police escort.
When the journalists tried to interview some local Macedonians, the police stopped them saying that they will just "disturb" them by asking questions, and then escorted them to the Macedonian - Greek border and told them to leave the country.
The official response from Athens is that the incident in the Macedonian villages was provoked (by who?) and that Macedonia is interfering in Greece's internal matters (by trying to protect it's repressed ethnic minority?). The Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski today will notify Brussels on the latest development of events in Aegean Macedonia.
In an interview for a local TV station, he said he is deeply disappointed by the European Union's institutions, who by ignoring his previous appeals for protection of the Macedonian minority in Aegean Macedonia, gave courage to the radical Greek authorities to continue and even increase the repression, which escalated in yesterday's incidents. Such events involving ethnic repression and attempts to silence the media do not correspond to the fact that they are happening in the 21st century, and in a EU member country.
