Bulgaria protests Macedonian Holocaust movie at EU

[hajduk]

Three European Parliament members from Bulgaria -- Evgeni Kirilov, Andrei Kovachev and Stanimir Ilchev -- sent a protest letter to the EU characterising the yet unfinished Macedonian movie ˈThird Halftimeˈ as spreading historical falsifications and hate speech towards Bulgarians.

"[W]e expect you to raise the question of using hate speech toward Bulgaria in the official contacts with the Macedonian institutions in the process of the Republic of Macedonia joining the EU," the letter requested of EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule.

A Bulgarian media blitz followed, re-opening the debate about the countryˈs role in the Holocaust and attacking the Macedonian government for financially and otherwise supporting the movie.

Historian Plamen Pavlov summed up the Bulgarian position on the TV show "Chas po Bulgaria". "[The movie] is anti-Bulgarian propaganda ... going so far as to claim Bulgaria was a Nazi state and just about the only one that carries responsibility for those people [Jews] which, of course, is not true."

Pavlov concurrently took issue with Bulgarian stateswoman Lea Koen, who questions King Boris IIIˈs intent to save the Jews even in Bulgaria proper.

"To call ˈThird Halfˈ anti-Bulgarian is analogous to calling ˈSchindlerˈs Listˈ anti-German. My movie is anti-fascist. The fact there are EU parliamentarians who classify anti-fascism as ˈhate speechˈ is a European Parliament problem as well as a problem for the country they represent, not mine," movie director Darko Mitrevski told SETimes.

Mitrevski gave his first TV interview to clarify things. Third Halftime is a real life love story of a wealthy Jewish woman, Rebeka -- who is still alive -- and who eloped to marry Kosta, a poor Macedonian railway worker turned football player.

As a result, Rebeka was not registered as Jewish, which saved her from being deported by the Bulgarian authorities to the Treblinka concentration camp in March 1943.

"Her story is recorded as one of about 50,000 survivor interviews in the past 12 years by Steven Spielbergˈs Shoah Foundation under No. 46472, which is where I got the idea," Mitrevski said.

The second half of the movie concerns Kostaˈs newly-formed football club that the locals named "Macedonia", Mitrevski said. It drew Macedonians to matches as a form of civil disobedience against the Bulgarian occupation.

Led by the legendary Jewish coach Iljash Shpic, team Macedonia reached the final in the Bulgarian league in the 1941-42 season. However, Bulgariaˈs Sport Minister told team Macedonia it would not be allowed to become a champion being led by a Jewish coach. Macedonia lost the two final games to Sofiaˈs Levski by official decision, after the players protested questionable refereeing, according to linguist Trajko Stamatovski, who said he witnessed one of the final games, as well as the deportations of Jews.

"By 1944, the team did not play because most players joined the partisans," Stamatovski said. "As for the claims the Bulgarians saved Jews, their army and police entered literally every house. ... only ten or 20 survived."

Katunec argues Bulgarian officials are aware this and similar movies can destroy the image they are trying to create for their country. "But, the way they go about it is most counterproductive because they completely turn against the historical truth. There still are live Macedonians who fought against fascism, Jews too, which is why at the end Macedonia ended up a victor in the war on the side of the Allies. The more they try to degrade the movie, the more it will be watched."

"It is laughable when somebody derives conclusions based on a scenario they have not read. But it is not funny when the EU parliamentarians try to negate the crimes their country has done in the Second World War. The Bulgarian occupation of Macedonia, the deportation of 7,200 Jews to the gas chambers in Treblinka, as well as the brutal repression of Macedonian anti-fascists and political opponents are historical facts," movie producer Kino Oko said.
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setime.../11/26/blog-03

[hajduk]

[poiuytrewq0987]

There are a ton of anti-German WW2 movies but you Bulgarians are like ooh this one is not good for us because it exposes what we did in Macedonia! Damnit you Maks!

[Queen B]

Another fairytale from the fakedonians.

[TojSum]

ASSOCIATION of JEWS from MACEDONIA in ISRAEL

07.08.2001

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._4265600_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3697105_n.jpg

[Crn Volk]

ASSOCIATION of JEWS from MACEDONIA in ISRAEL

07.08.2001

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._4265600_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3697105_n.jpg

ooch!

[morski]

Spas Tashev: That Bulgaria alone is responsible for the deportation of the Jews from Vardar Macedonia and Aegean Thrace is a myth

Sofia. The book "The deportation of the Jews from Vardar MAcedonia and Aegean Thrae. Facts and myths." debunks the main myth- that the only guilty side is the Bulgarian state. That was said by the author of the book Spas Tashev for Focus Agency.

That's a myth that's been popularized in the republic of Macedonia in the last 10 - 12 years. I'd like to point out to the fact that Bulgaria has never denied its involvement in these events and the objective analysis of the documents confirms precisley this conclusion. In the meanwhile the authorities in the republic of Macedonia deny completely any involvement of Nazi Germany in these events and blame Bulgaria alone. There is even an initiative started to declare Tsar Boris III a war-criminal.

Tashev says also:

I have also found for the book a speech by the deputy chief attorney of the state of Israel from 1961 in relation to the "Eichmann" trial in which he says that Tsar Boris is a hero. Tsar Boris III was strongly opposed to Eichmann and his position was instrumental in the saving of the Jews who were Bulgarian citizens. The Jews from Macedonia and Thrace were deported precisely for that reason that they were not Bulgarian citizens and Bulgaria didn't have any jurisdiction over them. The state wasn't able to save people who weren't its citizens. In the whole period between '41 and '43 the Jews in these lands were registered with the Bulgarian police in beauro for foreigners.

In Tashev's words- the question who is responsible for the deportation is extremely complicated, but if one strives to be objective the main side that should be blamed is Nazi Germany.

It's a fact that the Bulgarian administration participated in the arrest of the Aegean Thrace Jews but that was in no way a Bulgarian initiative and wasn't realised by the Bulgarian authorities alone for the simple reason that in Macedonia there was a parallel German authority in this period, i.e. Macedonia is under double Bulgarian-German jurisdiction.

At the transit deportation camp "Monopol" in Skopie security was a mix of Bulgarian police and German soldiers. More interesting is the fact that when teh trains arrived the guards in the trains were all Germans ehich points to the fact that it was mainly a Nazi operation.

This process has been analyzed in the People's Court 1944 - 1945 by the depratment that dealt with antisemitism. It ascertained that the deportation is mainly a NAzi German action. There was some Bulgarian involvement, but it was a product of the fact that Bulgaria was a country dependent from Germany and Bulgarian administration helped the Germans in their actions, but the main initiator of the events were the Nazis. Tashev said.

Спас Ташев: Мит е, че единствено България e виновна за депортацията на евреите от Вардарска Македония и Беломорието

София. Книгата „Депортацията на евреите от Вардарска Македония и Беломорието. Факти и митове” развенчава основния мит – за единствената виновна страна България. Това каза в интервю за Агенция “Фокус” авторът на книгата Спас Ташев.
„Това е мит, който се лансира в Република Македония през последните 10 - 12 г. Искам да подчертая, че никога България не е отричала българско участие в тези събития и обективният анализ на документите показва именно този извод. В същото време, днес в Република Македония властите изцяло премълчават участието на хитлеристка Германия в тези събития и хвърлят вината изцяло към България. Дори в момента има инициатива за обявяването на цар Борис III за военнопрестъпник”, каза Спас Ташев.
„За книгата намерих една реч на зам.-главния прокурор на Държавата Израел от 1961 г. във връзка с процеса „Айхман”, и там той казва, че цар Борис е герой. Цар Борис ІІІ твърдо се е противопоставял на Айхман и с тази си позиция, е спасил евреите, които са били български граждани. Евреите от Македония и Тракия са депортирани именно поради тази причина, че те не са български граждани и България реално няма юрисдикция над тях. Тя няма как да спаси хора, които не са нейни граждани. През целия период от 1941 г. до 1943 г. евреите в тези земи са били регистрирани в българската полиция в бюрото за чужденци”, каза Спас Ташев.
По думите му – много сложен е отговорът на въпроса - кой е виновен за депортацията, но, ако трябва да бъдем обективни основната вина е на хитлеристка Германия.
„Факт е, че българската администрация се включва в ареста на беломорските евреи, но това в никакъв случай не е българска инициатива и не е реализирана само от българските власти, поради простата причина, че в Македония през този период има паралелна германска власт, т.е. Македония е под двойна българо-германска юрисдикция”, каза Спас Ташев.
На самия транзитен депортационен лагер „Монопол” в Скопие охраната е също смесена от български полицаи и германски войници.
По-интересното е, че когато пристигат самите влакове, охраната на влаковете е изцяло германска, което показва, че основната роля в тази депортация е на хитлеристка Германия. Този процес е анализиран и в Народния съд 1944 - 1945 г., точно от отдела, който се занимава с антисемитизма. Там е констатирано, че депортацията е предимно германска акция. Има някакво българско участие, но то е продукт на факта, че ние сме зависима от Германия държава и нашата администрация е помогнала на тези германски действия, но основният инициатор са германците и по-скоро хитлеристите, каза Ташев.
Красимира ГЕОРГИЕВА

2012 Всички права запазени. Позоваването на Информационна агенция "Фокус" е задължително!

http://www.focus-news.net/?id=n1630006

[пустиняк]

Ungrateful Juden that's all I can say.

[Crn Volk]

http://www.memorialmuseums.org/eng/d...s-of-Macedonia

"On March 10, 2011 - 68 years after the Jews of Macedonia were arrested and deported by the Bulgarian occupying forces - a national Holocaust Memorial Centre was dedicated in the Macedonian capital of Skopje. "

[morski]

"Фактот, пак, дека Хитлеровата „Мајн Кампф“ е бестселер во Македонија и дека постарите луѓе сеуште веруваат на антисемитските мрачни измислици ја прави целата работа лакрдија."

"Како и големото мнозинство еврејски заедници во Европа, еврејското население во Македонија – на број 7.400 луѓе – било комплетно погубено во текот на Холокаустот. Како и големото мнозинство народи во Европа (со неколку впечатливи и благородни исклучоци), Македонците седеле и со прст не мрднале за да помогнат. На трендот се спротивставиле само неколкумина храбри Македонци. Тивкото мнозинство со мерак си ги присвојувале предметите и имотите на истребените Евреи и уво не ги заболело! "

"Нејсе, музејот на Холокаустот – кој што речиси целосно беше финансиран со приходите од продажбата на денационализираните имоти на ликвидирани Евреи, набрзина прогласени за луѓе без наследници од страна на македонските власти, е македонскиот начин да се подмитат Евреите да им помогнат во нивните економски и геополитички премрежија."

Цялата статия: http://www.plusinfo.mk/mislenje/317/...od-Holokaustot