MHRMI Demands Immediate Resignation Of Racist Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis
By Macedonian Human Rights Movement International
Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis spewed out more anti-Macedonian hate speech at a lecture titled “Insight to Hellenism” at the University of Toronto on March 5, 2011. While praising the lecture, which glorified Greece’s policy of denying the existence and persecution of its large Macedonian minority and which defended Greece’s bombing of Macedonian civilians during Greece’s Civil War, Karygiannis once again referred to Macedonians as “Skopjans”. This is a term used by Greece to negate the ethnic identity of Macedonians and evokes Greece’s horrific campaigns, past and present, at ethnically cleansing or forcibly assimilating its large Macedonian minority.
Karygiannis encouraged one of the guest speakers, Christos Karatzios, to send a letter to Canadian MPs and to “… come and enlighten the rest of my colleagues on what is Greece…” . He accused Prime Minister Harper of “selling out” Greek-Canadians because of the Conservative Party’s recognition of Macedonia.
But will the Liberal Party reprimand him?
Karygiannis referred to Macedonians as “Skopjans” in an interview for the Globe and Mail on September 21, 2007, following Canada’s recognition of the Republic of Macedonia. Canadian-Macedonians were outraged and flooded the Liberal Party with demands that Karygiannis be reprimanded. The Liberal Party ignored the issue and instead chose to attack the Conservative Party’s recognition of Macedonia, pandering to the Greek-Canadian community.
Ironically, the Liberal Party and their apologists consistently accuse the Conservative Party of the underhanded tactics that Liberals employ. The federal and provincial Conservatives have come under recent attack for targeting ethnic voters and for ties to banned separatist groups. However, pandering to ethnic communities is a Liberal specialty and it is Jim Karygiannis who has notorious ties to the Tamil Tigers, classified by the Canadian government as a terrorist organization. Paradoxically, Karygiannis is an Associate Member of the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) calls on Canadian politicians, regardless of party affiliation, to demand Jim Karygiannis’ immediate resignation. We ask that concerned Canadians do the same via the contact information below. Jim Karygiannis’ continued presence in Parliament is an affront to traditional Canadian values.
The comments from Mr Karayiannis were not out of line. Their is no nation as Macedonia therefore nobody with a national identity of Macedonians. In this situation the most suitable label to brand the people who live in FYROM is Skopjians which derives from the nations capital.
Theirs plenty of worse titles we could brand these people with however out of respect we chose not to use such titles.
The title Macedonians belongs to the people of Macedonia whereby only one part of the world is considered Macedonia and that is in Greece not North of Greece.
Macedonians are a reality and Mr. Karagiannis, who failed to stop Canada’s recognition of Macedonia’s constitutional name, is somehow trying to be “the best Greek” with his anti-Macedonian rants. He should step down now before the Liberal party kicks him out of office.
Hey George, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. The Macedonians originate in all of Macedonia, include the part that has been Greece since 1913 only. “Skoppian” is a racist, ethnic slur. The fact that originally had some geographic meaning in the Greek language is irrelevant, the point is that it is a hate word, and the people being referred to do not come from that particular city anyway, they come from everywhere in Macedonia… and they are emphatically NOT Greek. If you ignore reality for long enough, eventually reality will tune you up… Greeks are learning that now. Wake up, George
Iwas allways voting Liberals,not any more.