Albanian Attrocities.

[Orphic_Hymn]

The question of northern Epirus at the Peace Conference,

Cassavetes, Nicholas J
Brown, Carroll Neidé, 1869-
New York : Pub. for the Pan-Epirotic Union of America, Boston, Mass., by Oxford University Press, American Branch 1919




CHAPTER XII
ALBANIAN ATROCITIES

THE following lists of atrocities and oppressions we
have compiled from the daily Greek papers, in which
relatives of the sufferers publish letters arriving from Epirus.

Norwich, Conn. April 14, 1918.
Mr. Soteriades' letter:

(extract)
My dear Stephanos:

I wish to announce to you that my cousin, Gregorios
Soteriades (brother of the representative) was thrown into
jail, in Argyrocastron, by the Italian Government, and
died from maltreatment. ELIAS SOTERIADES.

2

From a letter sent to Mr. Savas Papadopoulos by his
people living in Northern Epirus :

In Trikoupi, they killed Mr. Take Ntete.

In the district of Argyrocastron the Albanians are
robbing and killing the Greek population.

In upper Lambovon, they killed four Greeks.

In Vlacho-Gorantzi, they killed six Greeks.

In the district of Zagori, they killed ten Greeks, and
many others in other villages.

There are only Italian and Albanian schools in these
districts and no Greek schools or Greek priests are allowed.

3

Mr. Panagiotis Ditsianis' letter reads in part as follows :

Mr. Cassavetes : Southbridge, Mass.

. . . From a letter from Worcester, Mass., we learn'
the killing of five persons in Lower-Gorantzi (district of
Argyrocastron) in the most distressing way. The
Albanians put out the eyes of their victims, then they cut their
hands, legs and noses and left them half -dead. When this
terrible fact was referred to the Italian Government, the
officials said to the peasants: "As long as you like to be
united with Greece 1 it is only suffering that you have to
expect." A letter relating the above fact is in the possession
of Mr. Elias Liolios, Worcester, Mass.

4

A letter from Mr. N. Contes reads in part as follows:

. . . The Italian officials, besides the fact that they allow
the Turco-Albanians to commit all kinds of atrocities
among the Greek population even under their very eyes,
have dismissed all the Greek teachers from the town
Sopiki (district of Pogoni) and put Italian teachers in
their places. . . .

N. CONTES.


5

A letter from Mr. Eustathios Gegas reads as follows :

Worcester, Mass., April 21, 1918.
To the President of the Pan-Epirotic Union, etc.

All the letters that come from our distressed Northern
Epirus depict the situation in the darkest colors.

The officials of the Italian Government seized many
leaders in the community of Premeti, all honest men and
with dependents. We do not know what their fate has
been so far. Among them there are two merchants, two
real estate men, one physician, one professor, one priest,
and many others. . . .

EUSTATHIOS GEGAS.



6

A letter from Mr. Spyridon Batsaris reads as follows:

Waterville, Me., Aug. 7, 1918.
My dear President of the Pan-Epirotic Union:

, All letters that are received here from our beloved
country are cut down by the Italian censor. Our people
cannot write anything, not even about the lack of food, on
account of the Italian fear. It is too bad that we enjoyed
liberty only for a little while. Italian slavery is worse than
Turkish ever was. . . .

SPYRIDON BATSAEIS.



7

From a letter of Mr. Athanasios Gegas:

Worcester, Mass., June 10, 1918.
My dear Secretary of the Pan-Epirotic Union:

I have just received a letter from my people of the
village "Glina" (district of Argyrocastron) and they
informed me that Albanians have seized six Greeks from the
village Upper-Gorantzi, and killed them. These Greeks
were returning home from their farms. When this fact
was reported to the Italian officials, they got the
following answer: "As long as you want to be united with
Greece, you are to suffer from the Albanians. . . ."

ATHANASIOS GEGAS.




8

Extract from Mr. Pantos' letter:

In a letter that I have received from my town I found
a slip of printed paper put in by the Italian censor
advising me to write on the envelope, Droviani, Albania, instead
of Droviani, Epirus. I cannot see the justice of the
Italian government when she wants to liberate the Italians
of Trieste on the one hand, and on the other hand enslaves
the Epirotes, etc.

K. PANTOS.



9

From a letter of Messrs. Vasilios Vallevos & Constantine
Vassos:

My dear Mr. Cassavetes:

A large Albanian band seized the following peasants
from the village of Vlacho-Gorantzi:

1. John Bitsios, 70 years old and lame;

2. Basil Bitsios, 5 ;

3. Charalambos K. Bessios;

4. Evangelos Kentros ;

5. Constantine Papanastassios ;

6. Demeter Telios.

All of them suffered terribly at the hands of the
Albanian brigands and finally died, etc. . . .

VASILIOS VALLEVOS.
CONSTANTINE VASSOS.





10

A letter from Mr. K. A. Pantos reads in part as fol-
lows:

My dear Mr. Cassavetes:

... A friend of mine and member of our association
has adopted a Mohammedan girl and brought her up in the
Christian religion. Now "Vatra" the Albanian association,
whose president is a Christian priest, wants to take
her away from him and give her back to the Mohammedan-
Albanians. The girl is unwilling to go. . . .

K. A. PANTOS.




11



A letter from Mr. Stephan Gionis is in part as follows :

Milwaukee, Wis. Mar. 9, 1918.
Dear Friend:

. . . On account of the murder of Mr. Papastathis (1) the
officials seized seven persons (the list of names follows),
and sent them in irons to Argyrocastron and Valona. . . .

STEPHEN GIONIS.


(1) This Papastathis came to Worcester from Austria and remained there
as a priest of the Albanians. He left Worcester a few years ago threatening
to kill all Greeks that he could in Northern Epirus. He was killed by the
Albanians of the opposite party.



12


From a letter from Santi Quaranta the following paragraph
becomes interesting, in as much as the Italian censor
erased four lines.


Santi Quaranta April 12, 1918.
Dear brother Sotiii:

. . . On the 26th of the past month Natsios . . . (here
the Italian censor interrupted the narration) and he lived
up to the 9th of this month and then died. . . .

ANDEEAS.

Note It is obvious that the Italian censor would not
allow any information as to what this man suffered before
he died, to leak out.




13

Extract from a letter of D. Lavares:

Dear Sir:

I consider it my duty to let you know that our country-
men are suffering in North Epirus from the Albanians
and the local authorities as well.


Letters that we have received from Sopiki (Pogoni)
and from Vostina report that an Albanian band took
prisoners three men, Char. Matsoulras, Thomas Kogionas
and Char. Volios and after having whipped them burned
them with boiling oil. Their fate is unknown.

Also an Italian detachment arrested Mr. P. Mauromates a
nd seven women and put them in dungeons in
Argyrocastro. Nothing is known as to the cause of this
action on the part of the Italian officials. Etc., etc.

(Signed) D. LAVARES.



14

Extract from a letter of Mr. Vasilios Styliaras:

Faviana, Italy, Feb. 11, 1918.
My dear Friends, Pauteli Tsini and Theodore Notti :

I have been here, as an exile, eight months. I was in
prison in Valona for five months and now I am here an
exile on an island with no friends, and no countrymen
around.

I beg you to send me some money because I am in a
great need, etc.

(Signed) VASIUOS STYLIABAS.




15

Extract from a letter of Mr. Vasilios K. Lenas :

Dear Sir:

A little distance away from the village of Upper
Lambovon (district of Argyrocastro) Albanian brigands
carried away the shepherds, Spyridon Memos, and his son
Constantine and after receiving four thousand francs as
ransom, set them free. This happened in July, 1917. In
November of the same year another band of Albanian
brigands killed Michael Graves while he was working on
his farm. In February- 1918, Albanian brigands carried
away Michael Louzes, a twelve year old boy and after
receiving 8,000 francs as ransom set the boy free. These
Albanian brigands carried away many other people and
after receiving heavy ransoms they left them free.

(Signed) V. K. LENAS.




16

Jannina, May 25, 1918.
My dear Nicholas :

The Greek authorities have gone as far as Delirnakion
since last October, and even as far as Kossovitza and Vostina.
From there north all the places are occupied by the
Italians.

Now, you can imagine how we get along in our villages.
The Abanians are supported by the Italians and do as they
please. They are now wreaking their vengeance on the
Christians. The Moslem Albanians have grown great
and powerful. Bazes has again returned to our village,
and has begun his old game burning our poor huts.

We are obliged to suffer everything, and to wait for the
arrival of the Greek army. I tell you now the Christians
with joy and hope wait for the arrival of the Greek troops*
indeed with more joy than in 1913, when they were to be
freed from the Turks. So much have they been op-
pressed.

In vain do we wait daily for the Greek forces to march
into Northern Epirus. They are ordered to go to
Saloniki.

In all of North Epirus the Greek teachers have been
dismissed by the Italians, and the Fratelli work as if they
never intended to leave the place.

Italian and Albanian teachers were sent to replace the
Greeks. But the Albanian teachers have everywhere been
driven out of the villages, and no parent will send his child
to learn Albanian.

SPYBOS.




17

A report sent by Basil, the Metropolitan Bishop of Dryinopolis
and Argyrocastron, to Mr. B. Venizelos.

July 18, 1917.

I have the honor to submit to your Excellency the fol-
lowing:

During the ministry of your Excellency's predecessors
I submitted again and again reports with accurate details
concerning violations, murders, arson, and expatriation on
the part of the Albanians, assisted in a very large measure
by the local Italian military authorities both in North and
South Epirus.

But the former ministry of Greece informed me that
it could not then approach the Italian Embassy at Athens
owing to the attitude of the Allies toward the Government
of King Constantine.

Thus nothing was done by your predecessor's ministry
to secure tolerable conditions of life for the innocent victims
of Epirus. As a matter of fact, these unfortunate Greek
people have been deprived even of their spiritual leadership,
by my violent expulsion on the 22nd of September,
1916, from Argyrocastron, escorted by an Italian guard
of fifteen soldiers with bayonets fixed, as if I were a
criminal. In fact, I was told that I was pernicious to
public safety because I protested against the occupation
of our towns by Italian troops who came to promote the
Albanification of North Epirus.

I do merely repeat now what in previous reports I have
communicated to your Excellency's predecessors. The
atrocities committed by the Albanians have been protested
against by the Deputies from North Epirus, and by the
numerous Epirotic Societies in the Kingdom of Greece.

In May 1917, the Italian Government, in order to please
a small minority of Albanians, declared Albania independent
and under her protection.

I beg your Excellency to take drastic measures for the
security of the lives and properties of the suffering
Epirotes, and for the return of those who have been vio-
lently expatriated to various unhealthy places, and more
especially to a deserted island near Cyrenica, on the ground
that they refused to raise the Albanian flag when Italy,
having driven away the Greek authorities, established an
arbitrary Albanophile regime.

Hoping that your Excellency will be so good as to take
salutary measures in behalf of the steadily perishing Greek
population of North Epirus, I pray incessantly for your
Excellency's health and happiness.

BISHOP OF DRYINOPOLIS AND AEGYEOCASTRON.

Athens, July 18, 1917.

September, 1916.

a) The Bishop of Dryinopolis and the trustee of the
Metropolis Porphyries Bumbos were violently expelled.

b) The Monastery of Melana was forcibly occupied by
Italian troops and surrendered to Moslem Albanians who
transformed it into a take or Turkish Mosque.


c) Ninety leaders of the Greek community in the town
of Drymades, of Himara were expelled and transported to
a little desert island near Tripoli, in Africa, and there
are strictly secluded. Other victims have been thrown into
the dungeons of Argyrocastron, accused of having refused
to raise the Albanian flag. Such are the brothers Stavros
and Anastasios Tsakas and others. . . .

November, 1916.

d) In the villages Trivouki, Kato Lamboven, and Houdoukouki
the Albanians have killed twelve Greeks.

e) Three Moslem Albanians of Linbehovo with four
Carabinieri attacked the Greek teacher Stephanos Katzalides
in the village Vrahosorourtzi, after having forced the
door of the Greek school.

December, 1916.

f ) Thirty-two Christians from Drorsani, for the lack of
postal service, sent letters to the Epirotic city of Jannina
by messengers, and were immediately cast into dungeons.

g) Near Kato Lamboven Christ Kentron Totes was
killed.

h) At Palaeocastron the priest Gregory was assassinated.

i) In Tsagioupi an elderly Greek mother and her son
were murdered.

j) Near the village Lecles two young men of Greek
parentage were murdered.

k) In the district of Delirno, of Liountza, of Zagoria, on
pretext of disarming the Greek population, very many
innocent Greeks were cast into dungeons, others were
beaten to death, some were expatriated, and the entire
Greek population was terrorized.

l) Over 2,000 Moslem Albanians enlisted as volunteers,
and under Italian uniform were sent to different parts of
North Epirus to terrorize the Greek population to become
Albanians.

m) Italian Carabinieri desecrated the Holy of Holies of
the Greek Orthodox Churches in the villages of Houmenitza
and Palaeocastron.

February, 1917.

n) In all the Greek villages, Italian schools were first
opened, and now Moslem priests (Hodjas) are imposed
upon the Christian Greeks, to teach the children the
Albanian language. Very numerous Moslem Albanian
families take the place of the persecuted Greek families,
in order that the world may be confronted by an accomplished
fact when peace is concluded and North Epirus
may be assigned to Albania on the ground that it is
inhabited by Albanians.

o) In the village of Senitza of the district of Delirno a
certain Mohammedan Albanian, Messia Ghiontas, with a
band of thirty robbers stole away 360 head of cattle, and
killed Michael Petrou, and carried away with them to the
prisons of Delirno a certain Christian Greek, D. Anas-
tasopoulos where he died of exposure.

March and April, 1917.

p) In the village of Costari the Moslem Albanians Vehip
Gotris and Tzape with eleven Albanian bandits
destroyed the house of N. Cotes and seized Lambis Tsizis
whom they bound to a tree, and killed by mutilating his
body.

q) In a town in Filiates, eighteen community leaders of
Greek race were seized, and sent in irons to the dungeon of
Argyrocastron, and their fates are unknown.

r) The Greek priest Papagiannes of Depalitia was
seized and sent in chains to the dungeon of Valona, under
the accusation of having incited rebellion.

s) Vassil Styliares, of Ostemnitsa, of the District of
Premeti was shot, because he had taken part in the rebellion
of 1914 against the Albanian rule in North Epirus. On a
similar accusation the Albano-Italians hanged Gregory
Kaliantzes of Ostemnitsa.

t) In the town of Tsagouzi the Albanians demanded the
surrender of a Greek Epirote, Nasios Kotos. Kotos did
not appear. The Albanians seized Kotos* young wife, and
demanded 5,000 drachmas, pretending that Kotos owed
that sum to them. Upon her refusing to give up the
money, they bound her to a tree, and murdered her by
pouring over her body boiling oil.

u) Seventeen villagers of the village of Lecles were
butchered in the fields while they were working there, on
the ground that they too had risen in rebellion against the
Albanian state.

v) During Passion week, the immemorial custom of
ringing the bells was abolished.

w) The communications between the portion of Epirus
occupied by Italy, and that now belonging to Greece have
been totally stopped.

x) The Italians drove away the Greek officials, and
collected the taxes which belong to the Greek government.

y) All the civil and judicial clerks that occupied their
positions under the autonomy of North Epirus have been
dismissed, then imprisoned, and their properties confiscated,
and the amount of taxes paid by the Mussulmans to
the Greek government was returned to the Mohammedan
Albanians.

z) Despite the assurances of Italy that her occupation
of North Epirus would be but temporary, and that such
occupation was dictated by military necessities, the Italian
commander in North Epirus, General Prussi, has raised
with great ceremonies the Albanian flag, and announced
officially the termination of the jurisdiction of Greece over
North Epirus.

z') -On Easter day April 2, by permission of the Italian
authorities a certain Papapanos from Roumania, came
from Valona to Argyrocastron and was appointed priest
by the Italian local authorities. Papapanos read mass in
Albanian. Whereupon the Christians rushed out. This
disapproval of the Albanian language by the Christians of
Northern Epirus annoyed the Italian authorities, who
immediately afterwards ordered the arrest of forty wealthy
Greeks of Argyrocastron.

That Italy has followed, not the Italian traditions but
German methods in the treatment of the Epirotes, is
shown in the desperate appeal made by the Greek Deputies
from Northern Epirus who were refused admission to the
Greek Parliament by Mr. Venizelos, like the Cretan
deputies in 1910, in order to avoid European complications.

The Deputies from Northern Epirus protest against the
barbarous attempt of the military authorities of Italy to
exterminate the Greek element of Northern Epirus.

[Hermes]

Well done Orphic...
I cant go after that, if those are true or not....
It has been war, and i am sure it happen of all kinds.....
Want just to give u some elements to have more clear why it happend :
As u say its about years 1916- 1920.....
-There was no albanian state at those times ( we must know the concept of "the state").
-Atrocities were made under Italian ocupation, and their soldiers had give "courige" to the brigands and killers or let their hands free against greeks.
But anyway u can ask , why so much blood...?
-I just want to remember u, that in the years 1912-1914 , Greece army ocupied your "north Epirus", and what were they ?.....angels with wings.........no my dear..........there were a regular army of a 80years state, and too many brigands from the prisons of Creeta.
They killed people not six or seven at once, but burned entire villages , and killed all their inhabitants.
-At one case in the Albanian-Christian-Village of Lekli (Tepelena -District) they put all the habitans (including women, children and old people) of the village inside the Church, than close it and burned them all....they were about 100 persons or more. Hundered persons were killed in other villages.
-Which is the diference : They were regular soldiers, of a state, and their actions were done by a plan ( a military one). I told u about the Lekli case bcz they were Christian. Greek war against albanians has as pretext the religion, its just to justify what is done or better to say to create the demon which greeks have to fight (as J.W.Bush create terrorizem,bin laden,sadam and so on....).
Yesterday i watched a special-news program on Tv, about Greek Genocide against Chameria population.
U often say that they colaborate with germans and italians.....
First we must know , how were they treat by the Greek state before, and if their basic right had been respected.....any way they didnt become nazi-fascist aleats.....may be some of them , but not the entire population ( and this is a fact that happen always in wars...)
In the other side there was Colonel Zerva....do u know if he was a partizan or a colaborator of the germans....???? I know had made tractats with Germans and after war no one in Europe or USA wanted him to rule Greece.
Now , the one-million question is.... : Why would this German Aleat , kill and made all kinds of atrocities against an entire population....( "Great Aleats of Germans") ????

.....in the atrocities u mention there is no fact about atrocities against women , children and old people
___ Before u ask about albanians atrocities u first must ask yourself why regular soldiers or else of A CHRISTAN STATE/COUNTRY killed women, children and old people, without any motive???? How colud your christian culture permit that ???? What does your Church say about that, or them as rapresentants of an asiatic-barbar filozofy are happy that moslem Humans are killed and deportated????
Also some days before, Cham people ( the sons of the ones depotated by Zerva) went as pelegrins in the memorial built in the Gr-Alb border, in memory of the Genocide comited by greek army. They invited the four religious rapresentants in alb ( the orthodox (ianullatos), the moslem, the bektashi, the catholic, protestants adn so on) to make a religious mass in memory of the spirits of the died persons ( i dont know to say it in english). All them , exept The Greek Ianullatos, accepted and went there.....it was very important, bcz dont happen often to see all kinds of sacerdotes religions in Europe to pray togather......
I'm sorry to say that, but u have nothing in common with Christianity......u are just barbars, not bcz u speak a diferent language from mine , but bcz u are like that.....
We can continue with facts of atrocities and so on....but we both know that our past history , will not help us to built the future....
If u have in heart your "north epirus" why dont u come and take it.....with war or not.....We will fight for Chameria, Albania has to much to recuparate, its time will come.....can u do it for your epirus?????

[olvios]

Chams and Italians were fascists.Thats a fact along with the fact that there is no cham genocide.

[Orphic_Hymn]

The source is mentioned for the simple reason that someone like you won't question its accuracy.
As for what you've posted, the very fact that throughout our long history we have never disrespected our religious temples makes your whole claim questionable. Destroying churches is an Albanian tactc not only seen in North Epirus but also by your breathen in Kosovo..Had you mentioned a school it would have been a whole lot more believable, but a church !!!
I mean please, where does this stupidity end ?

After this questionable and totally rediculous account you totally change topic and move towards our civil war and Zervas. Honestly what on earth does this have to do with what is noted above, don't you have any comprehension about what the topic is about and who on earth made up this stupid story about Zervas rulling Hellas??

You then start babbling about another totally unrelated to the topic issue and start telling me about the Chams. Well personally I don't give a flying f@ck about them nor their rediculous demands. While you accept that they sided with the Nazi and try to justify it by noting some possible maltreatment, I choose to centralize on the FACT that they did. In the real world thats called HIGH TREASON and such actions are punished by DEATH. So don't expect me to even consider listening to the traitor's claims, traitors that fled to save their worthless life when they saw that the Nazi would not prevail.

Finally, your stupid nationalism is celebrated in your closing statement, while you try to deceit us about your true mentality by speaking about past and building a future, you then turn towards speaking about fighting to recuperating lands..

You've wasted far too much of my time.

[effie]

Hermes wrote : "I just want to remember u, that in the years 1912-1914 , Greece army ocupied your "north Epirus", and what were they ?.....angels with wings.........no my dear..........there were a regular army of a 80years state, and too many brigands from the prisons of Creeta.
They killed people not six or seven at once, but burned entire villages , and killed all their inhabitants.
-At one case in the Albanian-Christian-Village of Lekli (Tepelena -District) they put all the habitans (including women, children and old people) of the village inside the Church, than close it and burned them all....they were about 100 persons or more. Hundered persons were killed in other villages."

Hermes, what is your source for the above statement?

Could you post an address please?

Effie

[Tsontos]

If u have in heart your "north epirus" why dont u come and take it

Well Greece had taken it several times. Albania had been fortunate enough to be rescued by Italians, Germans and Greek Communists.

[Euklid]

I was talking to an Albanian last night he told me these exact words:

In Albania the words for "asshole", "evil", "malaka" is Cham and one more, which i cannot say, einai aytoi pou den goustaroume kai emeis.....o noon noeito. Episis mou eipe oti oi Chamides einai misitoi sti Alvania kai oti oli tin ora zitane apozimioseis kai apo to Alvaniko kratos, gh kai tetoia. Kai mou eipe episis oti emeis oi Ellines eimaste "Pasades sto Balkan", kai oti oi perissoteroi Aryanites, opos tous elege, stin Albania, pou einai eponimo einai Xristianoi Orthodoxoi pou milane Ellinika akoma. Aytounou to eponymo itan Aryanitis, kai oti anikei stoys elaxistous Arvanites pou exoun apomeinei stin Alvania, kai oti to Aryanitis einai pio arxaio apo to Arvanitis kai oti to Arvanitis proerxetai apo ekei. Mou eipe episis gia toys Illyrious, kai oti ekei sto xorio tou exoun mia petra afieromeni sti fyle toy Ilia...apo Illyrios, o anthropos aytos einai teleios agrammatos, petras, mixani magkes, sketi mixani, ti vgazei tin petra monos tou apo to edafos, ti kanei toublo sto deyterolepto kai ti xtizei epi topoy, mas exei ftiaksei ti mantra kai ena kalnterimi, kai ton exo dei na douleyei kai mou exei pesei kato i glossa...sti kyrioleksia. Mou eipe episis oti O Skentermpeis o Kastriotis itan Tourkos(praktoras) giayto kai den ton kerdizan oi Tourkoi, kai oti aytos mono gia ti diki tou ge noiazotane(kai giati polemise stin Aystria...anarotiotan..."o prodotis?"), kai oxi gia tous Alvanous, mou eipe episis oti i giagia tou milouse Ellinika. Ayta.

[Hermes]

Its true,
we can speak for months, and this questions cant change our minds and claims( this is why there is no peace in the horizont)....anyway......why dont u make a kind a Conference to have all parts in the "conflict" and in scientiest way everyone to prove the claims. Than let tell to Albanians and Greeks...thats the trueth. It could be very inetersting.
For e.x .....I asked this once to Bollano's son in Himara ( we have the same age), dont know why, but he was not sure about that.......
Science Academy of Albania, had published a book about Himara and its history, and there they give thousands of arguements.........Himara question is less complicated, and there have been too less blood than Chameria.....i'm afraid u are afraid to do that.....bcz its another thing to lie and to make presion to a person for a visa and a work and another one to give arguments in an Academic table.
In this forum or else we can feed each other in too many ways but at least we cant change anything except our hates and nationalism.

[olvios]

Albanian claims our laughed at by the scientific community of planet earth.

[Euklid]

I think that we have a lot to learn from each other.

Somehow your people are very hatefully-regarded both in Ellada and outside of it. So i think its not just the others but your selves as well. And its true that the Ellines are highly prejudiced against you. It has to do with the selective memorabilia.

In any case i support dialogue, not about the atrocities commited, but about the unifying sectors of the 2 societies. I support the nostalgia of past "bad" events but not for hate-bigotry production instead supporting the notion of how not to be repeated.