The BBC insists on the existence of a “Macedonian minority” in Greece, responding to the president of the Union of Macedonians of Great Britain, Andreas Petrides.

According to the British network, “the number of Slavic or ‘Macedonian’ descendants in Greece cannot be accurately calculated”.

Responding to a letter of protest from Mr. Petrides, for the report BBC published on February 24, the British network argues that it did not talk about a “large oppressed minority”.

He also referred to the paragraph of its initial report according to which “the historian Leonidas Embirikos estimates that more than 100.000 (Slavic or “Macedonian” descended) in the Greek region of Macedonia, but only 10.000-20.000 would identify as members of a minority.

According to SKAI TV, Mr. Petrides had referred to the contradictions in BBC’S report, as it mentioned that the “Macedonian language” had been banned by the Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas in 1936, while the report also states that the “Macedonian language” has not been banned officially in Greece…

The BBC argues that the report makes it clear that this language has not been formally banned “for decades”.

At the same time, the British network does not answer to Mr. Petrides’ observation that BBC’s report is one-sided as the official Greek position is hardly mentioned regardless of the fact it was accusing Greece, a member state of the European Union, for human rights violations.