At the so-called “Macedonian Film Festival” in Toronto. Made by a small European film company with the heavy support of the Skopje government and its allies and lobbies, and by its political party “Rainbow” (Grk: Ouranio Toxo) in Greece, it will be distributed throughout North America in coming weeks. It attempts to depict Greece as a human-rights-abuser
It projects a fictitious story of a Skopjian-American marine “Nick Stoyan” being tortured by skinhead look-alike Greek officials. In an attempt to dupe American viewers its has images of the American flag interweaved with the Star of Vergina.
One YouTube trailer we located says “Ellada the other Greece”
“A Name is a Name: A film about a Nation held hostage because of its name.”
http://www.anameisaname.com/
Here is the offensive Anti-Hellenic You Tube trailer in English:
You Tube: Nick Stoyan, eng
by Hellenic League of America (HLA)
Everyone, especially Greek people should look at this movie. It is not full of propaganda, but the director focuses on the simple life of the ordinary people in Macedonia. In this way, one message is conveyed: simple and nice people live in Macedonia, which do not differ a lot from any other nation....they live their lives suppressed by politics and unfriendly influence from their neighboring country. Instead of living in peace and harmony with the Greek nation, they are living in constant hatred towards the Greek government.
ReplyDeleteWe do not hate the Greek people, we just don't like the politicians who put their best in isolating our country, and make this image of Macedonians as the worst enemies of Greek people.
I personally have many many great friends from Greece, ad i want to tell to everyone in greece that we are not your enemies, we never hated you and never will. I just want the Greek politicians to let us live our ordinary lives, and let us be brothers and sisters with Greek people.
Please look beyond the current problems and stupid disputes.... we can all share the good things and overcome the bad...
Everyone, especially Greek people should look at this movie. It is not full of propaganda, but the director focuses on the simple life of the ordinary people in Macedonia. In this way, one message is conveyed: simple and nice people live in Macedonia, which do not differ a lot from any other nation....they live their lives suppressed by politics and unfriendly influence from their neighboring country. Instead of living in peace and harmony with the Greek nation, they are living in constant hatred towards the Greek government.
ReplyDeleteWe do not hate the Greek people, we just don't like the politicians who put their best in isolating our country, and make this image of Macedonians as the worst enemies of Greek people.
I personally have many many great friends from Greece, ad i want to tell to everyone in greece that we are not your enemies, we never hated you and never will. I just want the Greek politicians to let us live our ordinary lives, and let us be brothers and sisters with Greek people.
Please look beyond the current problems and stupid disputes.... we can all share the good things and overcome the bad...
A few thoughts:
ReplyDelete(1) Thank you, Anonymous, for your comments above. Speaking as a Macedonian, I echo them as well.
(2) The lead posting has confused two different new movies about Macedonia. They are not connected.
(3) Like it or not, you can look at every single human rights report whether it is issued by the U.S. State Department, Helsinki Watch, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International or other organizations, the sad truth is that Greece does not respect human rights nor as it respected them for many years. This is not just my personal opinion and it really isn't up for debate. Just consult the annual reports of any human rights organization for the last decade and the results are all the same. And if that were not enough, Greece, which, by treaty, has pledged to respect the decisions of the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has repeatedly failed to do so as well and it continues to lose many cases there. If you doubt anything that I have written here, please do your own research and see for yourself. Greece is in sincere need of reforms in this area. (And, for the record, Macedonia is getting better with each passing year but more work still needs to be done there too. Finally, for example, in 2010, the Government has proposed to spend money on overhauling the prison system which is badly needed.)
This is so laughable. seriously, its blown out of proportion and typicly. The movie is nothing more than an adventure / documentory of a guy on a motor bike traveling thrugh the republic of Macedonia and whitnessing how people live. Far from Anti Greek. Also the Nick Stojan clip has nothing to do with the A NAME IS A NAME production its just another manipulation.The biggest joke about it is threatening Iceland with a veto clearly shows not only how ridiculous This situation is,But it shows how you abuse your veto powers in the EU, but also proves what a facist state you are and you have something to hide. Stop all this paranoia. Give the ethnic minorities in your country there rights. Move away from your nazi like Thinking. Here is a quote which you can easly be mistaken as Greek policy, and its clearly what you are doing here and in the past.
ReplyDelete"" Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it ". --------- Adolf Hitler
And last quote from EX US SECRETARY OF STATE
EX US SECRETARY OF STATE TELLS GREECE TO "GROW UP"
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=08&dd=09&nav_id=61052
A Name is a Name is a film conceived and developed by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for the pure purpose of deceiving the American public and the international community by Demonizing the Greeks and making victims of themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe Film Fund of FYROM which operates with close cooperation and support from the Government of FYROM, pseudo academics and lobbyists have been dispatched around the world as part of a propagandistic push to wrest the historical name of Macedonia away from the indigenous Macedonians of Greece who can link to it in every way, in order to fulfill territorial claims and push an irredentist agenda.
A documentary implies that there is truth to what is documented yet no such documentation exists. Ellada The other Greece beyond assumptions and propaganda holds no valid or credible documentation of the existence of Nick Stoyan or of the events herein. A name is a name is a biased one sided view that is assumptive in its content and biased in its presentation.
Both videos disregard the cultural link of the Macedonians of Greece focusing only on what it means for them to achieve the theft of the name.
It is synonymous to a criminal who plays the victim card by showing us what it would mean to him to own your car, and demonizing you, the owner for not allowing him to steal it with your blessing.
Barbarian subjective claims or perceptions of some of the above-mentioned individuals, which are not based on objective facts and criteria, that they are ethnically “Macedonians” do not establish by themselves a corresponding obligation of Greece to officially recognize this group as a «minority» and to guarantee to its members specific minority rights, additional to those guaranteed by human rights treaties. Moreover, the use on their behalf of the term “Macedonian” in order to define a distinct ethnicity creates confusion with the 2,5 million Greeks who identify themselves as Macedonians in the regional/cultural sense.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, in Greece, even if a group is not recognised as a minority enjoying specific minority rights, individuals are free to declare that they belong to a distinct ethnic or cultural group, without any negative consequences resulting from such a statement. In addition, these persons enjoy fully all their civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, which are recognized by the provisions of national and international law. Both the judiciary and the administration are obliged to implement these provisions. Persons who consider that their rights are being violated can bring their case before the Greek courts and also have the possibility to appeal to the competent international bodies, as provided for by the relevant treaties binding Greece.
A couple of examples prove the above mentioned affirmations:
- There is a political party in Greece, which claims to represent the “Macedonian minority”. This party operates freely and participates without any impediments in the elections. One of the leading figures of the party is a civil servant, working for the Greek State, regardless of his political activities and views.
- There are regular cultural events and festivities organised by the Slav-speaking persons in the region of Florina, where everyone is free to participate, including nationals of the neighbouring Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
In conclusion, all persons residing in Greece, regardless of their nationality, ethic origin, language, religious or political affiliation enjoy full protection of their human rights and liberties. Everyone is free to declare his/her origin, speak his/her language, exercise his/her religion and observe his/her particular customs and traditions.
Athens will never change for the fact they have taken something in 1913. They signed a treaty that allows them to have more land. It is s historical fact that Greece has expanded its territory. The fact is they will never walk away with something so valuable like Macedonia. Find me a history book where Athens helprd Macedonia fight the Romans. If we were so greek where were they to help there "so called greeks." Ask a greek where the last king of Macedonia was buried he might have trouble with that one.
ReplyDeletei think its a great movie i just dont know why involving politics in movies, this is not a news or newspaper its just a movie , it is 21st century and somebody is still so rasist, a member of EU, A country with one of the oldest civilization and history like Greece should not do this to any other nation, it is democratic right to people to decide how do they want to be called just like their parents, grandparents...Macedonians, you can not change it over night nor for millions nights its a fact and it is the reality, accept it once for all.
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