Rainbow Participates at MRGI Workshop - Skopje, Macedonia

October 14, 2005

ETHNIC DATA COLLECTION

"Vinozhito/Rainbow-Organization of the Macedonian Minority in Greece"

Presented by : Georgios N. Papadakis

Read this page in Macedonian

Read this page in Greek

Main Points:

-Greece is officially recognizing only one "muslim" minority in its territory, based on the Lausanne Treaty that was signed back in 1923 with Turkey. This factor makes it almost impossible for any other ethnic or linguistic group in the country simply to express a different identity without facing hostility and prejudice from state and society. Under these circumstances it is even more difficult to have this kind of diversity reported officially from the Greek State, through census.

Even the so-called "muslims" are not to be found in any official statistic that Greece is providing EuroStat with. And this happens although the official attitude changes towards this minority changes over the years- for political reasons- and it's developing to be "Muslim minority, consisting of 3 different groups, Turks, Pomaks and Roma".

The forms people have to fill in during censuses do not include any reference to ethnic or linguistic origin, making it impossible for any independent entity (EU, other international organizations, NGO's, individual scientists etc) to collect such data in a official manner.

-Based on the above, it is quite obvious that the collection of ethnic disaggregated data not only is not supported by the Greek state but it is strongly discouraged.

The Macedonians in Greece are a typical example of this policy. While many thousands, spread around the regions of Florina/Lerinsko, Kastoria/Kostursko, KozhanyKajlarsko, Pella/Vodensko-Meglensko, Imathia/Negushko-Bersko, Kilkis/Kukushsko and even Thessaloniki/Solunsko, Serres/Sersko and Drama/Dramsko, nobody can really calculate-even approximately- how many they are. Greece is claiming that there is no minority, only some 2-3 thousands of elderly bilinguals that use also a "Slavic idiom" (!). Macedonian organizations from Greece and abroad raise the number of Macedonian-speaking people to up to a quarter of a million (not to be connected with the individuals claiming an ethnic Macedonian identity). Scientists making field studies in the above regions also estimate the number of Macedonians in Greece well above 100.000-120.000.

-This absurd situation makes it difficult for Macedonians wishing to express their ethnic or linguistic identity (or both) to do so publicly. The suppression they suffered ever since Greece incorporated part of Macedonia in its territory (beginning of 20th century) and the hostile attitude they still have to face, made them extremely reversed, introverted and reluctant for public statements. Even if suddenly Greece decided to change its attitude and adopt a more civilized approach towards them (ability to declare their ethnic origin in state census, introduction of the Macedonian language into elementary/secondary education etc), this would be make the Macedonians even more suspicious, judging from prior experience. Today's situation only eternalizes a vicious circle than can only be broken with Greek state's initiative because it was created by the Greek state. And one example could be some changes in the census forms, allowing disaggregated ethnic data to be collected.

-One has to be reminded also that prior to 1951 there was some reference at state censuses to ethnic groups in Greece. The Macedonians were called "Macedonians, Slav-Macedonians, Slavophones or People With Unstable Ethnic Conscience". (sic!). After the 1951 National Census, though, they were completely erased from the Greek state's Facts & Figures books and terminology.