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Yesterday, Sunday the 20th of January, will certainly be remembered in Greek history as one of the days that Greeks rallied together against a decision their Government took part in, on the 17th of June, 2018. The act known as the Prespa Agreement, sent thousands of people from every corner of Greece and hundreds from other parts of the world, to join in the organised rally at Athens’ Syntagma Square. Early hours on Sunday saw the famous square slowly filling up with Greek flag bearers and people dressed in traditional dress from the region of Macedonia to make their statement known, that Macedonia is Greece and the word Macedonia can not be used for a former republic of a country once known as Yogoslavia.
The rally started at 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT) and was supported by the Greek Orthodox Church, cultural organizations, public figures and political parties in which are opposed to the Greek government’s compromise with the neighboring country.
The Greek prime minister survived a confidence vote in parliament on January 16th. The motion was launched after his junior partner, Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, resigned in protest over the agreement. The oganisation of the rally opposing the government and the draft bill that was brought into Parliament on Saturday was then put into action, hoping to change those members who have to vote for the agreement to pass not to vote in favour.
The bill includes the provisions of the Prespa Agreement which Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers signed on the banks of the Prespa Lake District in northern Greece, which the two countries share along with Albania, in July, 2018. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Tsipras and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of Macedonia.
According to the agreement , FYROM will change its constitutional name from the ”Republic of Macedonia” to the ”Republic of North Macedonia”, with its language and citizenship being recognized as ”Macedonian”.
For decades, Greece has objected to the former Yugoslav republic’s use of the name Macedonia, arguing that it implies territorial aspirations against a northern Greek region with the same name. Athens also claimed that using the name was an attempt to appropriate the ancient civilization of Macedonia, a Greek kingdom ruled by Philip II and Alexander the Great.
Successive Greek governments have used the country’s veto to keep Macedonia out of the European Union and NATO until a resolution of the name dispute. Now, assuming the deal is formally ratified, Mr. Tsipras has pledged that Greece will lift its objections to Macedonia joining those alliances, also allowing a clear path for FYROM to join NATO. The Greek government, has been trying to calm those who are protesting, saying that it has noted that both the language and the citizenship include clarifying additions.
The clarifications point out that the language belongs to the family of South Slavic languages and the citizenship includes the additional sentence of ”citizen of North Macedonia” next to the term ”Macedonian”. It is these clarafications that have not been recognised to the Greek people and many regular Greeks are unhappy calling it a national capitulation and betrayal. Thousands of protesters rallied in and around the Sytagma square shouting, “Traitors” and “sellouts” at those who are in favour of the agreement going ahead.
The protest was a great success, although it started off peaceful, it was not without its tarnish as a small handful of people became violent clashing with police. Unfortunately what caused the violence no one really knows but it seems within some videos taken of the event there were some that were prepared to clash with the special forces that would not allow people to head up onto the access area of the Parliament building. It wasn’t long before tear gas was used to break the crowd from the area and causing many who had come as families to depart from the protest.
A large banner with the slogan “Referendum Now for Macedonia” had been erected at the square by the Committee for a Referendum on the Prespes Agreement.
Thousands of people of all ages chanting pro-Macedonian songs and holding Greek flags had their voices heard at Syntagma Square and the surrounding streets of the Greek capital but it is now this Friday that Greeks await the decision from their members of Parliament to decide whether the agreement should be accepted.
Informer has included the copy of the agreement papers in the link below as well as a video of the rally that took place on Sunday.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/resources/article-files/aggliko-1.pdf
