Australian Macedonians push for human rights in Greece
The Greek Prime Minister Kosta Karamanlis is touring Australia this week. While our federal leaders smile and shake hands with him over a new social security deal for elderly Greeks, the Macedonian community remains outraged about human rights abuses occurring in Greece. Macedonia is still waiting to be recognised as an independent sovereign country. South Australian Premier Mike Rann recently inflamed the situation by referring to Macedonia as being “as Greek as the Acropolis” – with angry Macedonians saying they see themselves as distinctly different in ethnic identity to Greek people. Victor Bivell is the founder of Pollitecon Publications, a publishing house for books about Macedonian human rights violations. He discusses the rights that Macedonians in Greece have been stripped off.