Today’s gathering was just one of the activities organized in Skopje within the Cham Week, as from June 23 are organized exhibitions dedicated to Chameria and Chams, panel discussions and debates with historians, as well as other activities.
As part of Cham Week, dozens of people gathered in front of the Greek Embassy in Skopje to express their protest against the Greek genocide against the Chams and the violation of their rights, as well as to submit a protest letter.
Today’s gathering was just one of the activities organized in Skopje within the Cham Week, as from June 23, in the capital of Northern Macedonia, exhibitions dedicated to Chameria and the Chams, panel discussions and debates with historians, as well as other activities were organized.
Today’s rally was peaceful and no incidents were reported, while the protesters were dressed in Cham elements and carried the Albanian flag.
In front of the Greek Embassy there was an increased presence of police forces who had blocked the road in front of the embassy building and prevented the assemblers from approaching the building.
The letter to the Greek Embassy in Skopje, read by Afan Sherifi, states that the Albanians of Chameria were massacred and expelled from their lands by genocide by the Greek EDES army led by Napoleon Zervas in 1944.
At the time, the Greek state accused the Chams of being collaborators with the German Nazis, an accusation that, as the Sheriff pointed out, was never scientifically substantiated by the Greek state.
“The conservation by Greece of houses and private land that the real owners are Albanians, clearly shows that the ethnic cleansing of Chameria from the Albanian element has had a political background and not based on any fact for the accusation of cooperation with the Germans,” said Sherifi.
He further said that they are asking Greece to allow Albanians from Chameria to return to visit the houses and graves of their ancestors, adding that the Chams are denied any human rights, even visiting as tourists in Greece.
He also stressed the call on the European Commission and the European Parliament to call on Greece, as an EU member, to stop ethnic and religious discrimination against the Chams.
Without a solution to the Cham issue, the Sheriff stressed, there will never be sincere friendship and neighborliness between the two peoples.
“Albanians, wherever they are, will always demand their rights, will seek the solution of the Cham issue as a nationwide issue. Therefore, we say stop the racial and religious discrimination that Greece makes against the Albanians of Chameria,” said the Sheriff.
– The Greek Embassy in Skopje rejected the protest letter
After reading the protest letter, it was planned that the organizers would submit it to the Greek Embassy in Skopje. But Erduan Dauti, one of those present, said this was not possible as the Embassy refused to accept the letter.
“Today was the day when a council symbolically had to submit a letter of protest to the embassy. Unfortunately, the embassy is not even willing to accept this letter of protest. Therefore, we will send this letter again via the post office, but physically they do not accept this letter from us “, said Dauti.
He also complained about the increased police presence, roadblocks and the stopping of those gathered a few meters away from the embassy building, as as he put it, this was a peaceful rally heralded.
Cham Week in Skopje is organized by a council composed of several non-governmental associations from Northern Macedonia, in coordination with the “Chameria” association from Albania and the Justice, Integration and Unity Party (PDIU) from Albania.
