About 140 thousand Greeks said “no” to the name Macedonia


 

With the message “Macedonia will always be a Greek country”, Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis addressed a crowd of citizens who protested in central Athens on Wednesday against the use of the term “Macedonia” in the definitive name agreement between Greece and Macedonia.
According to police reports, in the center of Athens, about 140 thousand citizens protested in the Syntagma Square, but organizers claim that over 1.5 million people were present.

“At 12 o’clock a gathering will take place with the participation of about 140 thousand citizens in the area of Syntagma square, area of about 50 thousand square meters,” reads the statement of the Greek police.

World renowned Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis said in his address that a referendum must be conducted, for the citizens of Greece to give their opinion on the final solution, but at the same time made strong criticism to the Greek government.
“The position of Greek citizens is clear and obvious, but if the Greek government thought to put the country’s signature on a compound name, there is no choice but to ask the Greek people. I am sending a call to the deputies who have the right to request a referendum. I am the patriot, I despise and fight against fascism in all its forms, but also in the most dangerous form – the leftist. Any deviation from this position will have catastrophic results for the country, “Theodorakis said. Then Theodorakis suggested that he and Greek citizens do not accept passive observers at a time when the country is at such a critical moment.
At the same time with the rally, Greek anarchists at 800 meters from the main protest organized counter-protests. Police with blocks of police buses divided space to avoid interaction of the groups and avoid incidents. Greek media report that at one point, after the protest was over, Golden Dawn members clashed with the Greek police, and in order to put the situation under control, they used tear gas.
Only half an hour after the protests ended, the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias announced via social networks that organized protest does not discourage further work for the benefit of Greece.
“Today, opinion polls have faded. New Democracy has been revealed, as well as those who did not listen to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Millions of Greek patriots made their choice. Therefore, with a calm conscience and responsibility, I continue to negotiate for the good of the country, “wrote Kotzias.

The Greek government reacted with a similar message, practically indicating that the protest did not respond to the expectations of New Democracy and thus demonstrated its true power, since at least half a million and even a million protesters were expected.
“The opposition that hoped to gather a million people should feel disappointed,” the Greek government said after the protest.
The British BBC reported yesterday about the protest in Athens. According to this media, thousands of Greeks protested and said “no” to the Greek government to compromise on the name negotiations with Macedonia.
“Protesters are against the government’s proposals for a name solution,” BBC concludes.

N: Kotzias got angry at Hahn

One day after he telephoned mediator Matthew Nimetz with a request not to interpret Greek politics in the wrong way, because he is not within the mandate given by the UN, the Greek Foreign Minister reacted to the EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn because in interview for “SPIEGEL” several times our country referred to as Macedonia.

“We call on Commissioner Hahn to respect international law and not violate, among other things, the decisions and obligations of the EU itself. Especially at a critical moment like today’s when negotiations are under way. The repetitions of his inadequate phrases do not contribute to achieving progress in the name negotiations. Also, they are not in line with the constructive role that the members of the European Union should have, “the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

Blerim Ismaili