MINELRES: Fwd: MHRMC: Macedonian Minority Organization OMO Ilinden Attacked by Bulgarian Nationalists

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Macedonian Minority Organization OMO Ilinden Attacked by Bulgarian
Nationalists

Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada

October 1, 2002

On Thursday, September 12 at approximately 3:00pm, OMO Ilinden, a
Macedonian minority organization in Bulgaria, intended to commemorate
Vartolomey Night (massacre of Macedonians in Bulgaria in 1924). About 45
members and sympathizers gathered in front of the US University in
Blagoevgrad and marched to the Gotse Delchev monument in Macedonia
Square. They intended to place flowers, a wreath, and a banner that
contained the text "OMO Ilinden � Stop the Assimilation: We want
Macedonian language and culture, human rights, and the right to work!"

Upon reaching the monument, about 25 civilians (all members of the
Bulgarian nationalistic political party VMRO) attacked the OMO Ilinden
members and beat several of them with sticks. They demanded that OMO
Ilinden give up the banner, wreath and two Macedonian flags. The VMRO
members took the banner and one flag before the local police, which were
already present, separated the two groups.

OMO Ilinden were successful in placing the wreath and flowers at the
back of the monument (VMRO members were blocking the front) and Jordan
Konstantinov, past-president of OMO Ilinden, gave a speech. At the end
of the ceremony, VMRO members again assaulted the Macedonians and the
police eventually stopped them.

The next day, the Bulgarian newspaper, Trud, slandered the Macedonian
activists claiming that they attacked the VMRO members. They also
claimed that the OMO Ilinden members were "drunk" and that they "cursed
Bulgaria, VMRO and the journalists that were present during the
ceremony."

As reported by the BBC, a roundtable was held after September 12
because, according to Bulgarian authorities, "The illegal organization
OMO Ilinden held an anti-Bulgarian event in Blagoevgrad". Bulgarian
parliamentarians from Blagoevgrad, as well as representatives of
political parties, the state and local institutions demanded the passing
of a law for the fight against anti-Bulgarian activity in that region,
and in the territory of the country as a whole.

According to the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), the ceremony of September
12 brought about social protests and tension and was condemned by all
political parties. The following quotations were made by Bulgarian
members of parliament:

* Stanimir Ilchev � MP of the National Movement Simeon II � "Bulgaria
should go to the European court to prevent events like Sept. 12."

* Rositsa Totkova � MP United Democratic Forces � gathering of OMO
Ilinden was "without the respect of the feelings of others and an open
threatening act"

* Aleksandar Abadjiev � MP Left Coalition of Bulgaria � "It�s paramount
to prepare the mayors and representatives of local administration how to
react to these types of events according to the law and constitution."

*
The MHRMC condemns such state-endorsed acts of oppression and calls on
the international community to increase pressure on Bulgaria to conform
to the many international human rights conventions to which it is a
signatory.

For more information about human rights violations against Macedonians
in Bulgaria, please see the MHRMC�s 2001 Annual Report � The Macedonian
Minority in Bulgaria (www.mhrmc.ca/reports/b01.html)

----------------
Bill Nicholov
Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada
Address: P.O. Box 44532, 2376 Eglinton Ave. East, Toronto, Canada, M1K
5K3
Tel: 416-493-9555 Fax: 416-412-3385
e-mail: mail@mhrmc.ca 
website: http://www.mhrmc.ca
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