Slav Intolerance of It's Citizens Learning Greek

[PhiliptheUniterchaeronea]

Forgive me as this is a long article, but relevant even though two years old almost. The following article may be long for the standards of a thread, but it is interesting and mentions how the Skop authorities are intolerant of peolple learning Greek.

This article was published by F18News on: 9 February 2005

MACEDONIA: Priests and police raid and threaten Serbian Orthodox believers
By Drasko Djenovic, Forum 18 News Service

Nearly a hundred members of the Serbian Orthodox Church's (SOC) Archbishopric of Ohrid in Macedonia were questioned by police and searched, after they backed its failed registration application, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Some were threatened they would be kicked out of their jobs. Police also tried to pressure them to sign a declaration that they had left the SOC for the rival, government-backed Macedonian Orthodox Church. When police questioned church member Goran Bogatinoski in Prilep in early January, they asked him why he allowed SOC monks to stay in his house and why there were icons in his home. Father David of the SOC Ohrid Archbishopric complained to Forum 18 of a "new wave" of police intimidation launched last December. The Interior Ministry denies that police questioned anyone just for signing the registration application.


Following the rejection by the Macedonian authorities of the registration application of the Archbishopric of Ohrid of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), Forum 18 News Service has learnt that dozens of those who signed the registration application were visited by priests of the rival Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) and the police to pressure them to abandon their adherence to the Church. Father David of the Archbishopric complained to Forum 18 on 9 February of a "new wave" of intimidation he says the police launched in December 2004 against Serbian Orthodox believers in Prilep and Resen, in southern Macedonia. Police have attempted to pressure individual believers into signing a formal declaration that they have left the SOC and joined the MOC, which enjoys government backing.

The head of the state religion committee, Cane Mojanovski, has vowed "never" to give the church registration (see F18News 4 February 2005 Forum 18 Search/Archive.

It appears that after the Archbishopric lodged its registration application, the religion committee passed a copy to Metropolitan Peter of the MOC. Priests of the MOC then visited about 30 families who signed the application, and following the MOC visits, police questioned and searched 97 people.

Goran Pavlovski, spokesperson of the Interior Ministry, denied to Forum 18 that police had questioned and searched the application signatories, insisting that they only questioned people "suspected of illegal acts". He also told Forum 18 from the Macedonian capital Skopje on 9 February that the situation of the Archbishopric of Ohrid "was given too big a meaning".

The Skopje office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) declined comment for now on the problems facing the SOC in Macedonia. "The OSCE is much concerned by the difficulties believers might face in the country," mission spokesperson Maxime Filandrov told Forum 18 from Skopje on 7 February. "We are doing work on this with the different stakeholders, mainly via our Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in Warsaw, but we would not go public on this issue at the moment in order not to 'overexpose' the ongoing efforts to find a solution."

In December 2004 and January 2005 police tried to pressure Riste Risteski from Prilep and his family into evicting SOC monks from a house inherited from his parents which he owns in the village of Lagovo. The monks had been expelled by police on 13 January 2004 from the MOC monastery of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God – Treskavec, near Prilep, after the monastery attempted to be reconciled with the SOC. The MOC is not recognised by any canonical Orthodox church in the world and monks who sought "canonical unity" with the Serbian Church have been expelled from their monasteries by police (see eg. F18News 13 January 2004 Forum 18 Search/Archive.

On Sunday 11 January 2004, police expelled nuns from the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God convent near Resen and from the St. Elijah – Chardak convent, as well as monks from the St. Demity – Marko's monastery near the capital Skopje.

Risteski told Forum 18 on 8 February that on the morning of 10 January 2005 he was taken from his home to Prilep police station. There he was interviewed for between 6 to 7 hours, his mobile phone was taken from him and he was denied any contact with a lawyer or his family. He said police also denied him food and water. Officers tried to get Risteski to sign a statement evicting the SOC monks and threatened that he would "have problems" because the monks are "Serbian spies who want to spread hatred between Serbs and Macedonians". After these threats, Risteski was taken to the house where the SOC monks are, which was searched without a warrant by police, and filmed. Although Risteski has legal documents proving ownership, the police threatened to destroy the house, and questioned Risteski about his property and finances.

On each of the next three days, Risteski was summoned to the police station, verbally threatened that he and his children would lose their jobs, and on the third day asked to sign a statement that he would not give the house to the Archbishopric of Ohrid. When Risteski asked that he be permitted to take the statement home and consult his lawyer, the police took the statement from him and have since left him alone.

Goran Bogatinoski from Prilep was also visited by police at the beginning of January 2005, as they wanted to question him why he allowed SOC monks to stay in his house, as well as why there were icons in his home. Bogatinoski was taken to the police station and threatened that "if he made people angry, people could stone his house and the police will not be able to help him". He was also threatened that the police would prevent him from getting work. In 2004, Bogatinoski had been questioned by police about who his friends were.

On 27 January 2005, police singled out the car of an SOC priest entering Macedonia for a detailed search and verbally insulted him. As the priest is a Macedonian citizen, he could not legally be refused entry. Similar border incidents, including refusal to allow SOC priests to travel through Macedonia on the way from Kosovo to Greece, took place in 2003 and 2004 (see F18News 24 July 2003 Forum 18 Search/Archive.

The Skopje-based Macedonian Helsinki Committee has noted that the state's active support for the Macedonian Orthodox Church, is contrary to the constitution, restricts religious freedom, and calls into question the secular character of the state.

Among other incidents during 2004, Monika Dodova from Veles in central Macedonia was invited for an "informal talk" by police inspector Elica. Dodova told Forum 18 on 9 February that she is a philologist studying Latin and Classical Greek, and that Inspector Elica questioned her about why people study Greek, the names of her students and whether she discusses the SOC with them. Dodova refused to give the police her students' names. Later, in June 2004 on her way to the monastery of St. Prohor Pchinski in Serbia, where she was going to take part as a godmother in a baptismal service, police interrogated her closely. After Dodova returned from Serbia, Inspector Elica rang her to say that "she know that Dodova had travelled to Serbia and why."

Also in 2004, the Macedonian parliament passed a resolution supporting "the autocephalous status and the unity of the Macedonian Orthodox Church" (see F18News 28 January 2004
Forum 18 Search/Archive) and a paramilitary "state security" unit attacked an SOC monastery with machine guns (see F18News 24 February 2004
Forum 18 Search/Archive. The monastery was subsequently demolished by workers helped by about 500 police armed with machine guns (see F18News
Forum 18 Search/Archive.

Metropolitan Jovan, the head of the SOC Archbishopric of Ohrid, is awaiting the results of an appeal against an 18 month jail sentence imposed on him (see F18News 4 February 2005 Forum 18 Search/Archive.

A printer-friendly map of Macedonia is available from
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xp...Rootmap=macedo
Note that the formally recognised name of Macedonia in international law is "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".

[Komitadji]

Originally Posted by PhiliptheUniterchaeronea

MACEDONIA: Priests and police raid and threaten Serbian Orthodox believers
By Drasko Djenovic, Forum 18 News Service

Serbian Propaganda, bre Filipe...

Yes, it is not as mighty as the Greek and Bulgarian propaganda, but it is strong enough to fabricate false compromats from tiome to time...

[PhiliptheUniterchaeronea]

Originally Posted by Komitadji

Serbian Propaganda, bre Filipe...

Yes, it is not as mighty as the Greek and Bulgarian propaganda, but it is strong enough to fabricate false compromats from tiome to time...

Maybe, and maybe not Komi. That is why we are discussing it. If it is, please let us know as I do not want garbage posted here and not be challenged. Truth is very important to native Macedonians (indiginous Greeks), you Slavs must understand that. There is some validity though that the Serbian CHurch has been discriminated against. The Skopjian Church is the only Church in history started by communists. Is this an issue over there? Why is the Serb Church such a threat to you if both are Orthodox? Mate, I am not waving a finger at you, I am really curious as to what is going on.

As for your remark about Greek and Bulgarian propaganda, do grow up please. You actually seem like a nice guy who lets such offensive nonsense escape his mouth that it is embarrassing to us all. Greek, Slav, etc... Please, lets keep that nonsense away from here. Thanks.

[Istor]

Serbian Propaganda, bre Filipe...

Gligorof: we are just SlavoSkopians !!

[Komitadji]

Originally Posted by Istor

Gligorof: we are just SlavoSkopians !!

Signomi Istor Kirie, but Glogorov didn't say that..
He sayd this:


"We the Macedonians, we are not related with the ancients Macedonians who lived here...
We are decendents of slavs who came here in 6th century"...

You lie istor...
that's why I mayby won't come to your pathetic little cheap forum..

Euharisto

[Euklid]

Komi, were not selling here, and you are not buying. {Well maybe that has been goin on for a little while in your country.}

But,
The name is not for sale, call yourselves as much as you like domestically as everybody else, the name of the country cannot be copied.

Plain Macedonia you do not get, sorry.

It is offensive and clearly indicates hostility.

So, you will have to compromize as well.

[Istor]

And Pavlos LIED and you know that!

I summarize Gligorof: If we are not related to ancient Macedonians how could we be Macedonian? So: we are just SlavoSkopians !!! Do you read Gligorof's words to your pupils?

[makedon]

http://www.macedoniaontheweb.com/for...you-admin.html

Have a look for a debate and discussion on language and some pics posted, schools and churches of old, all Greek.

I am from Florina, know the issues well, and have spoken at length about the beliefs of the people.

Many of the Fyromian citizens already spoke Greek long
ago, many Greek churches, Greek schools, especially in the rural areas, in the past Greek was spoken as the
primary and majority language right up halfway into Fyrom, the old "Jirzcik Line" discussed by many scholars.

But 3 Generations of Slav Rule from Bulgarians in
Skopje changed that, Greek was banned, so obvously that has changed, many are Crypto Greeks and many still speak if alive or if some/broken Greek made it down the generations.

[Euklid]

As for Pavlo Istor, ill tell you that my grandfather's from my father side maiden name is Mavromichale.

My best friend, sygxoriano and 3 rd cousin is half Mela half Mavromichali. The known Psaromati half-breed outcasts.

The Melades from personal experience as it happens that i know plenty of them. Are very very uneducated even still.

Pavlos was just an illeterate warlord.

His remarks mean absolutely nothing.

[makedon]

Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, Thessaly, Old French Map, its huge.
The red represents greek schools and churches and the green represents real
bulgarians, notice the real bulgarians occupy major city centres, not the countryside.
All those small towns spoke greek, "endopoi", "vlach", right into FYROM, the old "Jirzik Line"
of the Byzantine Empire where greek was spoken all the way up half way into FYROM is confirmed. Above that Latin and Slavic Language was predominant.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...Image00016.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...Image00017.jpg