DEEP IN OUR HEARTS WE KEEP THE MEMORIES OF THOSE WHO WERE MURDERED

DEEP IN OUR HEARTS WE KEEP THE MEMORIES OF THOSE WHO WERE MURDERED

July 1935

Dear “Rizospastis”,

You, who are on the side of the oppressed, write also something about us Macedonians. Older Macedonians, who had been lured by Bulgarian money and chauvinism and who bore arms fighting for the annexation of Macedonia to Bulgaria, have now understood that they did not do anything but defend the interests of the landowners and bankers who dismembered Macedonia and annexed parts of it to Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece. Now they are reviving the memories of the murdered Macedonian leaders Gruev, Tosev, Delchev, who sought self-determination for Macedonia.

We, Macedonians from Voden held a meeting at which one of our comrades talked to us about the program of the I.M.R.O. (United) and how the minorities lived in the Soviet Union. He told us that the Macedonians in Serbia and in Bulgaria were fighting under the leadership of the communist parties for a united and independent Macedonia. We declare that we shall struggle for our freedom under the leadership of the Communist Party of Greece and that we demand to have our schools where the Macedonian language will be taught, and we also demand that we should not be called Bulgarians because we are not Bulgarians, nor are we Serbs or Greeks, but only Macedonians! We demand permission to publish and distribute our own newspaper.

We invite all Macedonians to join the I.M.R.O. (United), so that we shall all struggle together for a free Macedonia.

Per the Group from Voden

G. Slavos

“Rizospastis” July 3, 1935.

(Page 273, The University of “Cyril and Methodius”, Documents on the Struggle of the Macedonian People for Independence and a Nation-State, Volume II)

THEY WANT TO SPEAK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

July 3, 1935

Kroncelevo (District of Voden)

- One hundred and twenty Macedonian families live in this village. They are Macedonians and they do not know any other language except Macedonian. However, nobody should envy the fate of anyone who might be heard by the authorities speaking Macedonian. A threat hangs above his head of being expelled to Bulgaria. All the villagers have relatives in Bulgaria who write to them that the same thing is being done to them by the Bulgarian authorities.

However, the Macedonians in Bulgaria have their own organization and they are struggling for their freedom.

The latest news is that the Security Service has learnt that we receive here our newspaper “Makedonsko delo” (The Macedonian Cause), which has enraged them. However, we are not afraid of them. We shall spread ever wider this newspaper and we shall form national revolutionary groups in all the villages and towns in our Macedonia. We shall publish newspapers in our Macedonian language, we shall prove to all the Macedonians that only the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United) is waging a struggle for the liberation of the oppressed Macedonians.

Village Kroncelevo, District of Voden Correspondent 1948

“Rizospastis” July 3, 1935.

(Pages 273-274, The University of “Cyril and Methodius”, Documents on the Struggle of the Macedonian People for Independence and a Nation-State, Volume II)