The controversial BBC online article titled “Greece’s Invisible Minority – the Macedonian Slavs” caused a serious backlash from many quarters in Greece.

The piece claimed the Prespa agreement changing the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to end a 28-year-long dispute means “Greece has implicitly recognised the existence of a Macedonian language and ethnicity.”

Greece’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Dimitris Karamitsos-Tziras, complained to the BBC about the report which claimed there was a repressed “Macedonian minority” in the country, that comes with the newly-named North Macedonia making more claims on Macedonian nationality, culture and identity.”

Along the same lines, prominent Athenian lawyer Ariadni Nouka and the Association of Persons “Ptolemy – Macedonians”, protested to the British broadcaster in a letter addressed to the BBC’s Assistant Editor, Digital Current Affairs Department, Stephen Mulvey.

The Letter of the complaint is as follows:

Mr Stephen Mulvey

On 24.2.2019 we have identified that you published an article entitled
“Greece’s invisible minority– the Makedonian Slavs” in content, reference is made to an existing “Macedonian” minority in our country.

Due to the prestigious confines of your journalistic organization, the article did the tour of the planet, leading to wrong grinding elements moved historical falsification and caused an unprecedented confusion to the detriment of the historical, cultural and national heritage of Greece to your readership. Really, we fail, to believe, that you’re not familiar with historical accuracy and in any case, we do not realise, how is it possible not to investigate the truthof the writing that you published.

We remind you in this respect, the letter of 371 academics (of worldwide magnitude in practicing) (http://macedonia-evidence.org/obama-letter.html), in the year 2008 to U.S. President, Mr. Obama, where where historical truth is shown. That the Slavs have no connection whatsoever with the Macedonians who were Greeks. Raising, thus a claim, lacks utter seriousness, same as any other report on the existence of “Macedonian” minority in Greece and even more an “oppressed” one, but also lacks any real connection between the Slavic history and the Macedonians that are ethnically Greek.

To our great disappointment, the article that you hosted references highly offensive and slanderous to/for Greek citizens, including us. It is brutally affecting our right of self-determination, and, among other things, is offending to our right to claim origin from our ancestors and harms the consciousness of historical destinies of our nation. Consequently, any misrepresentation of the truth at the expense of our historical, cultural and national heritage is an harmful insult to our personality as a whole nation and also at the individual’s level.
As you can see, no civilized nation can put up with the falsification of it’s history or with any Informative mention about it.,

Greek courts have already issued verdicts, following the judgment of the Supreme Court (Supreme Court of Cassation), which all have held irrevocably for the lack of a “Macedonian” minority, the absence of any “Macedonian” nation , the absence of a “Macedonian” language and a “Macedonian” culture.

The existence of all these data gives birth to a series of legal consequences deriving from the published article and hence we expect an immediate reply explaining the reasons that led you to publish an unhistorical article. We demand from you to let us know, how do you intend to remedy the huge induced moral damage you unprovocatively caused to us.
Otherwise, our right to effectively protect our personality at the individual and Ethnic level will be legally exercised followed by any other legally legitimate measures to restore the grave moral harm you have caused us.

With the hope of restoring the truth

1. Ariadnι Nοuka
Lawyer

2. Association of Persons “Ptolemy – Macedonians”