Velika Popovska 64 year old woman turned away from Greek border 10th July 2012

[Onur]

I am sad to hear this Julie. This is an unacceptable behavior but we were already reading reports like that from the articles posted here before.

I hope your mother`s case would be an example to create more public awareness for this issue to a positive change in the future.

[julie]

I am sad to hear this Julie. This is an unacceptable behavior but we were already reading reports like that from the articles posted here before.

I hope your mother`s case would be an example to create more public awareness for this issue to a positive change in the future.

Thank you Onur
Have gotten quite emotional last few hours, anger was keeping me pumped and fighting, am not giving up hope, that she will even just get one day there

Poor thing, said to the border guards, please, one of you come with me, follow me , be with me, I just want to see my home

[julie]

I am so sad to hear what your mother has needed to go thru.
I think she should contact her relatives in Greece and have them meet her at the border.
Greece gets away with this because to many Macedonians keep under the radar so to say. They need to start voicing themselves. The more the better, civil disobedience is the way forward.

Mum had cousins waiting for her at the border
Thank you Daskalot

[julie]

Good luck Julie.

Still not entirely given up hope, still a small glimmer, albeit fading

[Bill77]

Voltron, let me hear you now make excuses and label Julies mum a communist and a security threat like you did with the elderly gentleman a couple of weeks ago you little piece of shit. Enough excuses you turd. People like you are the reason why your country is what it is. You sick little man always try to defend what's not defendable. And what is more sick is that you can live with that (lies, injustice, hatred).

If there is no legal reason (for example: persona non grata or invalid travel documents) the lady can contact the GHM, PObox 51393, GR 14510 Kifissia/Athens and denounce the incident.

Thanks for this info Zak

You are a good person and you give me hope there are good Greeks and mabe there is a positive future between our two people.


@Julie, i know this what your mother is going through is hard to take, but you can turn it into a positive sis. here is a chance for you to go on a mission fuelled by this injustice being personal, to expose as much as you can, the cruelty, these medieval like humans cause. It will be the best form of revenge and a great cause. There are many readers here on MTO that have became aware of your personal experience and i hope it brings you some solace by exposing the true Greece and how fascism still lives there. But don't stop here. Keep going girl (as much as your health allows you to) and i will be happy to assist anyway i can.

[julie]

Bill77, love you bro, as I do all my Macedonian brothers and sisters here

Zak, thank you for the information, unfortunately mum is only in Macedonia until 25 July, so it wont help her

[Sime]

After reading this and obviuosly those that may know me will know that I have been in contact with Julie wanted to acknowledge my appreciation for the support you have shown my sister,
I finally remembered my user name and password !!!! yes I am computer illeterate but I can make a mean brushno kokoshka.
seriously it is a sad state of affairs. I was pulled up at the border also in 2010 and albeit was more so a bribe is what they wanted. I told them I dont give a 100 bucks to my own kids a you dumb fucks think I am going to give it to you.

anyway it is always good to air these things other wise we never hear the sad state our peoples live in both there and abroad.

[julie]

Welcome to the MTO Sime, indeed bro

[Risto the Great]

Sime, welcome.
Your sister is indeed passionate and you are of the same blood. You have no choice but to be fighters.

You are among friends here.

[Daskalot]

Welcome Sime! Try not to forget your password again :-)

[Sime]

Ristos,
You know me well enough to know the blood in my veins (isnt it supposed to be i before e except after c ....) is well and proud of Macedonian heritage. I will denounce any man that tries to belittle my family and my people.
I have the true blood line from Kotori and Oleveni I come from the central part of the greatest historical country that still holds its name pure and true MAKEDONIA.
Thank you for having me.

[AMHRC]

Bill77, love you bro, as I do all my Macedonian brothers and sisters here

Zak, thank you for the information, unfortunately mum is only in Macedonia until 25 July, so it wont help her

Julie, you're right, it probably wont help your mum now, but it's good to document these cases with organisations that specialise in human rights violations and in fact we already registered the incident with GHM yesterday (as Zak' suggested).

And for everyone else's benefit, we are organising (with Julie's help) a legal intervention for Velika, inside Greece. At this stage it's likely that we wont get a result in time to help her cross the border on this occasion - never-the-less, we need to follow this through to the end.

[julie]

Julie, you're right, it probably wont help your mum now, but it's good to document these cases with organisations that specialise in human rights violations and in fact we already registered the incident with GHM yesterday (as Zak' suggested).

And for everyone else's benefit, we are organising (with Julie's help) a legal intervention for Velika, inside Greece. At this stage it's likely that we wont get a result in time to help her cross the border on this occasion - never-the-less, we need to follow this through to the end.

AMHRC. are the only organisation that have tried to help in any way, shape or form, and cannot thank you enough for all you are trying to do.

I appreciate you logging everything with GHM , means the world to me, I feel am continually hitting a brick wall, and the Australian government , well, its left a bitter taste in my mouth, failed me, the last 8 months and now my mother.

Bless you guys, you rock

[Phoenix]

Julie, you're right, it probably wont help your mum now, but it's good to document these cases with organisations that specialise in human rights violations and in fact we already registered the incident with GHM yesterday (as Zak' suggested).

And for everyone else's benefit, we are organising (with Julie's help) a legal intervention for Velika, inside Greece. At this stage it's likely that we wont get a result in time to help her cross the border on this occasion - never-the-less, we need to follow this through to the end.

AMHRC,

I'm sure that this isn't an isolated incident, my guess is that these things are happening on a regular basis in Nazi Greece. I bet Egej born nationals from Australia, Canada, the USA and other countries, particularly of Velika's age are being turned away at the border every year.

As 'isolated' incidents i'm sure very little can be done to rectify the situation, perhaps some sort of 'register' needs to be developed so that the true numbers of Macedonians that are harrassed by the Nazi greek regime can be accurately quantified.

Too often people don't know who they can turn to in these situations so such incidents are seldom reported to anyone and just remain as frustrating vacation experiences.

As specialists in the field of human rights perhaps you guys can get together with your Macedonian colleagues in Canada, the US and Western Europe to tackle this ongoing problem as a unified front rather than a case by case basis?

[AMHRC]

AMHRC,

I'm sure that this isn't an isolated incident, my guess is that these things are happening on a regular basis in Nazi Greece. I bet Egej born nationals from Australia, Canada, the USA and other countries, particularly of Velika's age are being turned away at the border every year.

As 'isolated' incidents i'm sure very little can be done to rectify the situation, perhaps some sort of 'register' needs to be developed so that the true numbers of Macedonians that are harrassed by the Nazi greek regime can be accurately quantified.

Too often people don't know who they can turn to in these situations so such incidents are seldom reported to anyone and just remain as frustrating vacation experiences.

As specialists in the field of human rights perhaps you guys can get together with your Macedonian colleagues in Canada, the US and Western Europe to tackle this ongoing problem as a unified front rather than a case by case basis?

Phoenix,

All true and logical. The problem for us is twofold: 1.Australian governments, thus far have refused to intervene, on every occasion. Even when we have collated multiple cases. On a positive note, on a number of occasions over the last two years, legal intervention by our friends at GHM and Vinozhito in Greece, has resulted in the Greek government fearfully giving in and letting the individuals concerned, in.

Though too many (even one is too many) still don't get in and they shouldn't be having any difficulties at all, in the first place.

So we might have to try something at a collective level, beyond what we have been doing until now, as you suggest. Just what that will be, we have to think about.

Our second major problem is that many people simply don't report entry bans and if we don't know about it, we can't do anything. There is also another category that we are not in a position to aid: some people who do complain, limit their complaints only to certain spheres and refuse to seek aid from us because they don't want to reveal that their entry ban was the direct result of their Macedonian ethnic background. There was a case precisely like that, only a few weeks ago, involving an individual who resides here in Melbourne.

So there are numerous problems in regard to building the case quantitatively, which unfortunately, allows (it shouldn't but it does) authorities, like DFAT, to get away with ignoring us on the basis of our "relative insignificance" in the grand scheme of things.

Never-the-less, we are going to have to try to come up with a new tack in an effort to bring this to an end.