http://www.florina.org/news/2008/october14_e.asp
Only a week ago, EFA-Rainbow expressed hope that the “irresponsible-responsible” people who decided the heavy artillery gunfire exercises at the field beside the Macedonian village of Lofi/Zabrdeny took the message from the wide reaction against it of the local population.We believed they understood, also because they’ve also promised that no heavy artillery shots would be performed, during the 10 days the army exercise was supposed to last.
Unfortunately, seems that some people will never come to their senses. In an unprecedented demonstration of slyness and audacity (and of course, without the slightest warning, in order to catch the inhabitants “off-guard”), tanks made a snap move inside Lofi/Zabrdeny, in an obvious attempt to make the exercise shots they could not perform one week ago. Numerous special police units came along also, to implement the “law of the stronger” with “Far-West” methods.
Despite all that, inhabitants not only from Lofi/Zabrdeny but also from Vevi/Banica, Kelli/Gornichevo and Meliti/Ovcaharany stood in front of the army and police forces to obstruct the exercise. Immediately afterwards, the “brave” police forces, using methods resembling the 7-year long dictatorship (1967-1974), started to attack the gathered people. They broke arms and legs, violently dragged women and children from the street (!), handcuffed and arrested 4 of the locals (including the president of the Lofi/Zabrdeny municipal council) as if they were the worst criminals and took them to jail.
This outrageous police attack did not intimidate the local population. OIn the contrary, hundredths more gathered and stayed all night in front of the exercise field, demanding the unconditional release of the arrested. Eventually, this happened in the early morning hours with no charges pressed against the Macedonians, who were simply defending the village’s PRIVATE roads which lead to their PRIVATE property.
We would directly like to ask the Greek political, army and police authorities:
• In which other part of the Greek territory, raw violence was selectively used to suppress a peaceful demonstration of local population who wanted the closure of an army exercise field? How is it possible that in Greece of 2008 we have 2nd class citizens? Is it because of their beliefs and the language they speak?
• Under what kind of rationale, tanks come out of nowhere in an inhabited place, taking the population by surprise, as if we were in a war situation? Who is the “enemy” at last?
• When is the will of the people living in these Macedonian villages, to permanently stop the operation of the army exercise field, going to be respected? Why they receive mockery and violence instead?
• In which member State of the EU such shameless acts take place? When is Greece’s continuous international decrial going to stop?
Enough is enough! If, after all these incidents, the army exercise field will not IMMEDIATELY and permanently suspend its operation, the Greek authorities bare sole responsibility for anything that will happen in the future.
The Press Office
of EFA-Rainbow
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+ Macedonian Government deeply concerned about events in Greece
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