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Rainbow (political party)
Encyclopedia
The Rainbow is a political party
in Greece
, and a member of the European Free Alliance
. It is known for its activism amongst what it regards as the Ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece and their descendants abroad. The Rainbow states that it is not a separatist
party and sees the acceptance of the Republic of Macedonia
in the European Union
with a positive regard.
In the past, it had an alliance with the Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece
(OAKKE). The two in 1996 formed a coalition in the Parliamentary elections. Members of the party retain Greek names and surnames.
In 2005, the European Court of Human Rights
found the Greek government guilty of violating the European Convention on Human Rights
by restricting party members' freedom of assembly
and failing to provide due process within reasonable time. The Greek government was ordered to pay 35,000 euros in compensation.
1 Participated with OAKKE
1994 European Parliament election
In the June 1994 Euroelections, a Rainbow list was presented by the Macedonian Movement for Balkan Prosperity (MAKIVE), in cooperation with the Rainbow group of the European Parliament
(which included the minority and regionalist MEP’s between 1989–1994). The list was immediately strongly attacked and slandered by the state news agency and some media; then the country’s Supreme Court invalidated its candidacy, on the grounds that it had not declared it was not aiming at overthrowing the regime, a declaration not used since 1974. Following the outcry, the Rainbow and two other leftist lists, which were initially excluded were reinstated. The Rainbow list was the only one not to get any air time on state television during the campaign and was not able to distribute ballots in most Southern Greek electoral districts; also, on election day, GHM and MRG-Greece received reliable information that the Rainbow ballot was not given to the voters in many Greater Athens voting places. Despite all those problems, Rainbow received 7,263 votes or 0.1% of the total electorate. Its relative share of the vote was significant in three districts where it received more than half its votes: 5.7% in Florina
, 1.3% in Pella
, and 0.9% in Kastoria
. In the October 1994 more polarized district elections, the Rainbow list in Florina received 3.5%.
1999 European Parliament Election
Rainbow participated in the 1999 elections
for the European Parliament
, obtaining 4,951 votes (0.08% of the total Greek vote) and failing to elect anyone.
2002 Greek local elections
Petros Dimtsis, a Rainbow Party member, was elected prefecture
counselor in the Florina
prefecture on a local list also supported by the PASOK
, as was the case that same year and at the next elections in 2006 for the candidate of the Turkish minority
's Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace
, Ahmet Hacıosman
, elected on a local list supported by PASOK and Synaspismós in the Rhodope Prefecture
. So far, he was the only member of the party ever to have been elected to any office.
2004 Greek Parliament Election
They decided not to take part in the 2004 parliamentary elections, citing shortage of funds as the reason.
2004 European Parliament Election
Rainbow took part in the 2004 elections
, obtaining 6,176 votes (0.098%). Their best return was in the Florina
prefecture, where they managed to tally 1,203 votes out of 39,532 cast, failing to elect anyone. Out of the 6,176 votes Rainbow Party received, less than half (2,955) were cast in the region of Macedonia
itself. Because parties stand for election across the entire length and breadth of the country, the pro-ethnic Macedonian Rainbow Party polled better in such distant regions as Crete
and the Peloponnese
than it did in many Macedonian prefectures.
2006 Greek local elections
Rainbow elected several candidates in the Florina
region, including Petros Dimtsis who was reelected to the office of prefecture counselor in the Florina prefecture
.
2009 European Parliament Election
In the 2009 European Parliament election
, which resulted in a record low voter turnout, Rainbow tallied a countrywide total of 4,530 votes (out of over 5.25 million cast), a 0.09% percentage result, and failed to gain a seat in the European Parliament. Their best return was in the Florina
prefecture, with 1,195 votes (a 0.57% increase from the 2004 elections). Votes tallied in other prefectures were mostly in the two-digit ballpark.
2010 Greek local elections
Panayotis Anastasiadis (Pando Ashlakov), an active member of the party's leadership, was elected president of the village of Meliti
/Ovchareni, but on a broader list, as for the local elections in Greece national parties are forbidden to take part, only local lists compete, usually with the support of several parties.
minority in Greece, and preserving its culture
, language
, and customs. Greece officially recognizes the party but not the ethnic group due to the existence of their own regional group also named Macedonians, their own historical association with ancient Macedonians
and concerns of irredentism on behalf of the Republic of Macedonia. This issue is currently subject to a naming dispute
mediated by the United Nations.
An issue very important to the Party's agenda is the reestablishment back to Greece of the former ELAS
and DSE
partisans expelled during the Greek Civil War
from Macedonia (Greece)
. During the Greek Civil War (1944–1949), many of them took refuge in parts of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
(particularly the Socialist Republic of Macedonia
), under the protection of the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito
. When PASOK was elected for the first time, they allowed all Greek communist refugees, located in many communist states, to return to Greece. However, the refugees now living in the Republic of Macedonia
were never re-granted their citizenship.
and Macedonian Slavic
. This sign was then stolen during the raid.
The sign was replaced but on the 12th of September priests from the Florina region called on people to join a "demonstration to protest against the enemies of Greece who arbitrarily display signs with anti-Hellenic inscriptions". The statement also called for the “deportation” of those responsible. Early in the morning of the 13th September the offices of the party were attacked by a number of people, including the mayor of Florina. They broke into the premises, assaulted those inside and confiscated the sign. During the course of the night equipment and furniture on the premises were thrown out the window and set alight.
On the 13th September four leaders of the party Pavlos Voskopoulos
, Petros Vasiliadis, Vasilis Romas and Costas Tasopoulos were charged with "causing and inciting mutual hatred among the citizens" under Article 192 of the Greek Penal Code.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and a member of the European Free Alliance
European Free Alliance
The European Free Alliance is a European political party. It consists of various national-level political parties in Europe which advocate either full political independence , or some form of devolution or self-governance for their country or region...
. It is known for its activism amongst what it regards as the Ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece and their descendants abroad. The Rainbow states that it is not a separatist
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
party and sees the acceptance of the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
with a positive regard.
In the past, it had an alliance with the Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece
Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece
The Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece , mostly known by its acronym OAKKE, is a minor Greek political party known for its strong anti-Russian positions....
(OAKKE). The two in 1996 formed a coalition in the Parliamentary elections. Members of the party retain Greek names and surnames.
In 2005, the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
found the Greek government guilty of violating the European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
by restricting party members' freedom of assembly
Freedom of assembly
Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests...
and failing to provide due process within reasonable time. The Greek government was ordered to pay 35,000 euros in compensation.
Electoral results
| Results, 1994–2009 (year links to election page) |
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| Year | Type of Election | Votes | % | Mandates | ||||
| 1994 European Parliament election, 1994 (Greece) The European Parliament election of 1994 in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament took place on June 12. The election system used in Greece was a party-list proportional representation with a 3% threshold for any party... |
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| 1996 Greek legislative election, 1996 Legislative elections were held in the Hellenic Republic on 22 September 1996. At stake were 300 seats in the Greek Parliament.The ruling Panhellenic Socialist Movement of Costas Simitis, was elected, defeating the liberal-conservative New Democracy party of Miltiadis Evert.-Results: rowspan=2... |
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| 1999 European Parliament election, 1999 (Greece) The European Parliament election of 1999 in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament took place on June 13. The election system used in Greece was a party-list proportional representation with a 3% threshold for any party... |
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| 2004 European Parliament election, 2004 (Greece) The European Parliament election of 2004 in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament took place on June 13. The election system used in Greece was a party-list proportional representation with a 3% threshold for any party... |
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| 2009 European Parliament election, 2009 (Greece) The European Parliament election of 2009 in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament in 2009 took place on June 7, 2009. The election system used in Greece is party-list proportional representation with a 3% threshold for any party... |
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1 Participated with OAKKE
1994 European Parliament electionEuropean Parliament election, 1994 (Greece)The European Parliament election of 1994 in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament took place on June 12. The election system used in Greece was a party-list proportional representation with a 3% threshold for any party...
In the June 1994 Euroelections, a Rainbow list was presented by the Macedonian Movement for Balkan Prosperity (MAKIVE), in cooperation with the Rainbow group of the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
(which included the minority and regionalist MEP’s between 1989–1994). The list was immediately strongly attacked and slandered by the state news agency and some media; then the country’s Supreme Court invalidated its candidacy, on the grounds that it had not declared it was not aiming at overthrowing the regime, a declaration not used since 1974. Following the outcry, the Rainbow and two other leftist lists, which were initially excluded were reinstated. The Rainbow list was the only one not to get any air time on state television during the campaign and was not able to distribute ballots in most Southern Greek electoral districts; also, on election day, GHM and MRG-Greece received reliable information that the Rainbow ballot was not given to the voters in many Greater Athens voting places. Despite all those problems, Rainbow received 7,263 votes or 0.1% of the total electorate. Its relative share of the vote was significant in three districts where it received more than half its votes: 5.7% in Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
, 1.3% in Pella
Pella
Pella , an ancient Greek city located in Pella Prefecture of Macedonia in Greece, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia.-Etymology:...
, and 0.9% in Kastoria
Kastoria
Kastoria is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria peripheral unit. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains...
. In the October 1994 more polarized district elections, the Rainbow list in Florina received 3.5%.
1999 European Parliament ElectionEuropean Parliament election, 1999The European Parliament Election, 1999 was a European election for all 626 members of the European Parliament held across the 15 European Union member states on 10, 11 and 13 June 1999. The voter turn-out was generally low, except in Belgium and Luxembourg, where voting is compulsory and where...
Rainbow participated in the 1999 electionsEuropean Parliament election, 1999 (Greece)
The European Parliament election of 1999 in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament took place on June 13. The election system used in Greece was a party-list proportional representation with a 3% threshold for any party...
for the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, obtaining 4,951 votes (0.08% of the total Greek vote) and failing to elect anyone.
2002 Greek local electionsGreek local elections, 2002The 2002 Greek local elections elected representatives to Greece's super-prefectures, 54 prefectures, provinces, and approximately 1,033 communities and municipalities.The local elections in Greece traditionally occur during the month of October....
Petros Dimtsis, a Rainbow Party member, was elected prefecturePrefectures of Greece
During the first administrative division of independent Greece in 1833–1836 and then again from 1845 until their abolition with the Kallikratis reform in 2010, the prefectures were the country's main administrative unit...
counselor in the Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
prefecture on a local list also supported by the PASOK
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party...
, as was the case that same year and at the next elections in 2006 for the candidate of the Turkish minority
Turks of Western Thrace
Turks of Western Thrace are ethnic Turks who live in Western Thrace, in the north-eastern part of Greece.According to the Greek census of 1991, there were approximately 50,000 Turks in Western Thrace, out of the approximately 98,000 strong Muslim minority of Greece...
's Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace
Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace
The Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace is a Greek political party founded to represent the interests of the Turkish minority of Thrace.The party was created on September 13, 1991 by Sadık Ahmet who presided over it until his death in 1995. Ahmet was succeeded by his widow Işık Ahmet who led...
, Ahmet Hacıosman
Ahmet Hacıosman
Ahmet Hacıosman is a Greek politician from the West Thracian Turkish minority. He has been elected to the Greek Parliament for the Panhellenic Socialist Movement in 2007 and was reelected in 2009....
, elected on a local list supported by PASOK and Synaspismós in the Rhodope Prefecture
Rhodope Prefecture
Rhodope is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the Rhodope Mountains, which cover the northern part of its territory. Together with the regional units Evros and Xanthi, it forms the geographical region of Western...
. So far, he was the only member of the party ever to have been elected to any office.
2004 Greek Parliament ElectionGreek legislative election, 2004Legislative elections were held in Greece on March 7, 2004. At stake were 300 seats in the Greek Parliament, the Vouli . The New Democracy Party of Kostas Karamanlis won a decisive victory in the elections, ending eleven years of rule by the Panhellenic Socialist Movement .PASOK was led into the...
They decided not to take part in the 2004 parliamentary elections, citing shortage of funds as the reason.2004 European Parliament ElectionEuropean Parliament election, 2004Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
Rainbow took part in the 2004 electionsEuropean Parliament election, 2004 (Greece)
The European Parliament election of 2004 in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament took place on June 13. The election system used in Greece was a party-list proportional representation with a 3% threshold for any party...
, obtaining 6,176 votes (0.098%). Their best return was in the Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
prefecture, where they managed to tally 1,203 votes out of 39,532 cast, failing to elect anyone. Out of the 6,176 votes Rainbow Party received, less than half (2,955) were cast in the region of Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
itself. Because parties stand for election across the entire length and breadth of the country, the pro-ethnic Macedonian Rainbow Party polled better in such distant regions as Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
than it did in many Macedonian prefectures.
2006 Greek local electionsGreek local elections, 2006The 2006 Greek local elections elected representatives to Greece's 3 super-prefectures, 54 prefectures, provinces, and approximately 1,033 communities and municipalities.The elections took place on Sunday, 15 October 2006 from 7am to 7pm....
Rainbow elected several candidates in the FlorinaFlorina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
region, including Petros Dimtsis who was reelected to the office of prefecture counselor in the Florina prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
.
2007 Greek Parliament Election
Rainbow chose not to participate in the Greek legislative election, 2007, again citing a shortage of funds.2009 European Parliament ElectionEuropean Parliament election, 2009Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
In the 2009 European Parliament electionEuropean Parliament election, 2009 (Greece)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament in 2009 took place on June 7, 2009. The election system used in Greece is party-list proportional representation with a 3% threshold for any party...
, which resulted in a record low voter turnout, Rainbow tallied a countrywide total of 4,530 votes (out of over 5.25 million cast), a 0.09% percentage result, and failed to gain a seat in the European Parliament. Their best return was in the Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
prefecture, with 1,195 votes (a 0.57% increase from the 2004 elections). Votes tallied in other prefectures were mostly in the two-digit ballpark.
2010 Greek local electionsGreek local elections, 2010The 2010 Greek local elections were held on 7 November 2010 and 14 November 2010 to elect representatives to Greece's restructured local authorities, comprising 13 regions and 325 municipalities.-Background:...
Panayotis Anastasiadis (Pando Ashlakov), an active member of the party's leadership, was elected president of the village of MelitiMeliti
Meliti is a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit...
/Ovchareni, but on a broader list, as for the local elections in Greece national parties are forbidden to take part, only local lists compete, usually with the support of several parties.
Political agenda
The Rainbow Party is interested in achieving political recognition of what they regard as an ethnic MacedonianMacedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
minority in Greece, and preserving its culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, language
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
, and customs. Greece officially recognizes the party but not the ethnic group due to the existence of their own regional group also named Macedonians, their own historical association with ancient Macedonians
Ancient Macedonians
The Macedonians originated from inhabitants of the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, in the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axios...
and concerns of irredentism on behalf of the Republic of Macedonia. This issue is currently subject to a naming dispute
Macedonia naming dispute
A diplomatic dispute over the use of the name Macedonia has been an ongoing issue in the bilateral relations between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia since the latter became independent from former Yugoslavia in 1991...
mediated by the United Nations.
An issue very important to the Party's agenda is the reestablishment back to Greece of the former ELAS
Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos
The Greek People's Liberation Army or ELAS , often mistakenly called the National People's Liberation Army , was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front during the period of the Greek Resistance until February 1945.-Birth of ELAS:After Nazi Germany attacked the...
and DSE
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
partisans expelled during the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
from Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
. During the Greek Civil War (1944–1949), many of them took refuge in parts of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
(particularly the Socialist Republic of Macedonia
Socialist Republic of Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
), under the protection of the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
. When PASOK was elected for the first time, they allowed all Greek communist refugees, located in many communist states, to return to Greece. However, the refugees now living in the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
were never re-granted their citizenship.
Controversy
The party offices of the Rainbow party were opened in Florina on the 6th of September 1995. On the 7th of September the offices had been broken into and had been ransacked. A sign hanging outside the office which had clearly written on it 'ВИНОЖИТО, ΟΥΡΑΝΙΟ ΤΟΞΟ, ЛЕРИНСКИ КОМИТЕТ' (Vinožito, Ouránio Tóxo, Lerinski Komitet). This sign had words "Rainbow Party, Florina Comitee" written in both GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Macedonian Slavic
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
. This sign was then stolen during the raid.
The sign was replaced but on the 12th of September priests from the Florina region called on people to join a "demonstration to protest against the enemies of Greece who arbitrarily display signs with anti-Hellenic inscriptions". The statement also called for the “deportation” of those responsible. Early in the morning of the 13th September the offices of the party were attacked by a number of people, including the mayor of Florina. They broke into the premises, assaulted those inside and confiscated the sign. During the course of the night equipment and furniture on the premises were thrown out the window and set alight.
On the 13th September four leaders of the party Pavlos Voskopoulos
Pavlos Voskopoulos
Pavlos "Pavle" Filipov Voskopoulos , is a member of the collective leadership of the Rainbow, a political party that claims to represent the ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece.-Early history:...
, Petros Vasiliadis, Vasilis Romas and Costas Tasopoulos were charged with "causing and inciting mutual hatred among the citizens" under Article 192 of the Greek Penal Code.
External links
- Official Website
- Greek election results, via the Greek Ministry of Internal Affairs
- Press Releases, via the Greek Helsinki Committee for Human RightsHelsinki Committee for Human RightsThe Helsinki Committees for Human Rights exist in many European countries as volunteer, non-profit organizations devoted to human rights and presumably named after the Helsinki Accords...