South Australian Premier Mike Rann, an enemy to Macedonians

[Risto the Great]

Volk, Vangelovski can hardly be called an idiot. He may have an axe to grind and I suspect it is quite sharp by now, but he is no idiot. This thread did in fact become yet another UMD issue by some people's willingness to make them the appropriate "go to" organisation in relation to this matter. As a fellow Adelaidian, I would have thought you may have found that offensive, that the voices of Australia and indeed Adelaide should have far more venom.

[Big Bad Sven]

From the facebook group about mike Rann:

For all you Adelaide folk, please be reminded that the UMD Forum is to be held at the Migrant Resource Centre of SA, 59 King William Street Adelaide SA, tomorrow, Saturday the 6th Feb @ 3 pm, see you all there!


Looks like the Adelaide people will be working with UMD on this matter......

[Volk]

Risto honestly I am glad that at least something seems to be getting done.
As for Tom I think his personal vendetta is destructive to our cause, having an opinion and stating it is one thing, but throwing accusations and implying conspiracies in every thread and at every person that does not share his opinions is another.

[Volk]

BTW the Forum is today not tomorrow as BBS stated, at 3pm

[Vangelovski]

Volk, you can lash out as much as you like with your "vendetta" accusations, but the fact remains that UMD is the ONLY Diaspora organisation that has not only accepted a name change, but actually speculated on specific name changes that might be "acceptable" and support both the Interim Accord and Framework Agreement.

How can you expect an organisation that calls for INJUSTICE to represent JUSTICE in this particular case?

[AMHRC]

AMHRC Begins Formal Legal Action Against Rann

Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee Inc.
Suite 106, Level 1, 55 Flemington Road, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3051

Hon Mike Rann MP
Premier of South Australia
GPO Box 2343
Adelaide SA 5001

Mr. Rann,

Inflammatory Comments against ethnic Macedonians

We have been made aware of your attendance last year at the 31st Annual “Dimitria Greek Festival” (29/11/09) in South Australia. Upon listening to the speech you delivered to the Greek community at this event, we came to the conclusion that it was inflammatory, bigoted and offensive.

To begin with, you referred to the current President of the Republic of Macedonia as someone who is “stirring up trouble in the most dangerous way”. Your justification for this is that he and the Macedonian government are utilising the symbol of Alexander the Great, in a variety of public projects. We very much doubt that any objectively minded person could agree that this is a ‘dangerous stirring up of trouble’.


However, this was not enough for you Mr. Premier; you then moved on to raise the level of vilification against ethnic Macedonians by making the following assertion to your ethnic Greek audience at the festival: “People sometimes say to me, but why is this important? It is important because no one is entitled to steal another nation’s history or culture; that’s why it’s important”. Premier, you have implied that ethnic Macedonians are thieves and thereby you have provided succour to bigots by vilifying ethnic Macedonians in general.

We shall make use of relevant legislation to ensure that you are held to account for spreading this type of hatred.

Sincerely yours,

George Vlahov
President
Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee Inc.
Tel/Fax: +61 3 9329 8960
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.macedonianhr.org.au

CC: Australian Human Rights Commission
Senator the Hon Chris Evans MP, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Cth)
Hon Michael Atkinson MP, Minister for Multicultural Affairs (SA)
South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission
Equal Opportunity Commission South Australia
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
Special Broadcasting Corporation (SBS)

[AMHRC]

Clarification

Dear All,

We are just writing on the forum to clarify some issues surrounding the Rann video issue.

We feel that it is quite appropriate for all Community representatives (especially those residing in South Australia) that are known to be responsible human beings to provide commentary on this issue in the media and to pursue various other strategies in connection with the Rann video. We would applaud all sensible contributions.

However, we want to make it clear that as far as the legal campaign against Rann is concerned that this is an action that is being undertaken by the AMHRC, therefore it is appropriate that the AMHRC is left to deal with this aspect of the Rann ‘affair’. It would be very counterproductive if others were to try and interfere with this particular aspect of the campaign against Rann. Over the last two decades the AMHRC has undertaken and successfully completed a number of such campaigns (most famously it had the State of Victoria found in breach of the Racial Discrimination Act in 2000). The present Committee has four legally qualified experts as well as a number of other lawyers at its disposal.

This is exactly the type of work that the AMHRC has been mandated to do and we trust that the whole Macedonian Australian Community will unify behind the AMHRC in this legal aspect of the general campaign against Rann.

Regards

AMHRC

[Risto the Great]

I am confident the legal process is in safe hands. Thanks AMHRC

[julie]

Thank you to the AMHRC.

[Vangelovski]

This is exactly the type of work that the AMHRC has been mandated to do and we trust that the whole Macedonian Australian Community will unify behind the AMHRC in this legal aspect of the general campaign against Rann.

And this is exactly the type of work that we (Canberra/Queanbeyan) support you in. Your contribution to this field over the past two decades has been outstanding and we trust it will continue for many more.

[Homer MakeDonski]

Dear AMHRC

last year at the 31st Annual “Dimitria Greek Festival” (29/11/09)

What's took you so long?
;-)

Well done
No more silence but increase your voice my dear Macedonians in Australia ,let it be heard ..

[Risto the Great]

Homer, the Lion is awake!

[Prolet]

Risto, Chul te Gospod

This lawsuit will cost a fair bit so we have to prepare ourselves financially for this, without international help especially from Macedonia its going to be pretty tough. The AMHRC should definitely spearhead all this however others should also contribute outside of Australia. The Ambassador of Macedonia to Australia Mr Pero Stojanovski needs to be fully aware and the Government needs to contribute.

Vangelovski, Speaking of Canberra/Quenbeyan whats the current community like?? Last time i went it was very good there, i visited both Churches Sveti Kliment Ohridski in Narrubundah and Sveti Ilija in Quenbeyan. Did you know that the former vice president of DOOM lives there??

Do you know the people who run the Bitolsko Drustvo in Canberra?? S.B is one of them S.T is the other but im sure if he is still around.

[julie]

[QUOTE=Risto the Great;35728]No Julie, it appears to be there.
You were the first one to bring this matter to our attention. I have no idea why such a delay in protesting this matter occurred. I had never seen the video until very recently and wish I had seen it earlier


Yes, I know RTG its hell to be gagged and await the appropriate channels to respond with their self serving interests as was at todays UMD open "forum"

[Daniel the Great]

AMHRC i am sure yous have the full support of the entire Macedonian community in Australia and all around the world. I wish yous the best of luck in pursuing your legal aspirations against Rann in the future.


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MACEDONIAN PRIDE