The Greko-Turk struggle against Macedonia

[Pelister]

“The fighting between insurgents and Turkish troops in the vicinity of Krushevo continued…. several villages inhabited by Greeks,it was added,had been set on fire by the insurgents”.

I can see what this NY article must look like to you. The text of the article is vague, and I can see how you could use it to your advantage to distort the picture of Macedonia. For example, there was not a single village in that region inhabited entirely by ethnic Greeks. Secondly, all Macedonians who were with the Patriarchist church (out of choice, or out of fear), were usually counted 'as Greeks' by New Greeks, and by Westerners, even though they were not. It is likely there wasn't even a single ethnic Greek there. Finally, it is a well established fact that Greek Priests, educators, Consular officials collaborated closely with the Turks. If a village inhabited by 'Greeks' was attacked, it was because of their close association with the Turk, as well as the fact that in these villages the 'Greeks' systematically assasinated hundreds of Macedonian elders. The dual Greek-Turkish oppression of the Macedonian, is irrefutible, so I am not surprised that a village supporting either camp was attacked. In fact it makes perfect sense. What bothers me is how you 'twist' the picture and distort it, to make it look like an attack on 'Hellenism'. That is entirely false. The attack was specifically targeted against institutions and people that oppress the Macedonians, in Macedonia, but it never deliberately targeted Hellenism because it was foriegn, rather because it was brutal, ruthless and oppressive.