Bulgarian MEPs : FYROM’s film spreads hate and attempts to manipulate Balkan history

November 2, 2011

A film from FYROM that depicts wartime Bulgarians as fascists has outraged Bulgarian MEPs who are calling on Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle to confront FYROM over the issue, according to EurActiv.

A couple of weeks ago, we witnessed the cynical confession of the leader from a Slavic Ultra-Nationalistic Diaspora Organization of FYROM, that he was promoting their pitiful propaganda against Greece through cinema.

Now, MEPs Andrey Kovachev (EPP), Evgeni Kirilov (S&D) and Stanimir Ilchev (ALDE) have signed a letter, in which they blast FYROM, stating their concern over the “attempt to manipulate Balkan history” and “spread hate” on the FYROM’s part against its neighbours.

The film from FYROM that enraged the Bulgarians is called, ”Third Halftime” and depicts a football match played in 1942. The match was between two teams of the Bulgarian football league, a Slavomacedonian and a Bulgarian. In the film the Bulgarians who are depicted as fascists, are plotting allegedly to kill the coach of the SlavoMacedonian team, who is of Jewish descent.

Kirilov told EurActiv that the Gruevski government had “overdone it” with nationalist activities, while in the MEPs letter to Fule, they state that ”FYROM policy is running counter to our European values” and show FYROM is breaching European acquis, citing various texts from European Parliament resolutions.