The organization “New ASNOM” and the Banned Association for the Protection of Basic Human Rights of Blagoevgrad, who appears as the founder of the Macedonian Cultural Club “Nikola Vaptsarov” in Blagoevgrad, submitted a petition to the European Commission (EC) against Bulgaria. The reason was the decision of the Supreme Court of Bulgaria to liquidate this association, the MKD announced.
It came immediately after the opening of the club “Nikola Vaptsarov”.although the whole procedure started in 2019.
This petition was supported by the Macedonians from Europe, Canada and Australia and the New ASNOM organization.
“The new ASNOM is the initiator, organizer and coordinator of the petition, together with a representative of the banned association. This is an important step for our cause, because if the EC finds that EU law has been violated, as we claim, then it will stop the European funds destined for Bulgaria. This is how Poland and Hungary were treated because both countries did not respect EU law. If the EC does nothing, this gives us the right to take the EC to court in Brussels, as the European Parliament (EP) did in February of this year. We are ready to take the EC to court. Decisions of the Court of Justice of the EU are binding on the EC. We also invite our citizens of White Sea Macedonia, if they have pending legal proceedings where their basic human rights have been violated, to contact us to consider filing a similar petition against Greece in the EC. We will prepare the petition. We have the knowledge and the will to help them. With this we open a new page in our struggle for the realization of human rights within the EU. Together we manage it, together, we are united from all over the world to help our brothers from Pirin. So far, the fight has been waged within the Council of Europe, the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights are inapplicable. Now there is an element of feasibility. It is a test of the functioning of EU laws and institutions. Challenge yourself. If they do nothing, it will be another confirmation that the EU is not for us, for various reasons. They will turn on themselves and leave us room to spit on each other indefinitely, which we will do. This is a new path, a new procedure and it has legal force, “says Sasho Manevski, president of New ASNOM.
Atanas Maznev, one of the founders of the association and president of the “Nikola Vaptsarov” club in Blagoevgradhe stated that the closure of the association does not mean the liquidation of the club, because formally and legally it does not exist: it is not registered in the CBR, but it is a club where the Macedonians of Pirin’s Macedonia gather.
According to him, the club was created by all those who have the idea of recognizing the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria, but also to improve relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria.
“This is the new Macedonian struggle of the Macedonian nation to realize its basic human rights within the EU, led in a new way, new rules and new opportunities. The new ASNOM takes the leadership position in this new struggle, which it is conducted with intellect, knowledge and reason, “says Manevsky.
We recall that the residents of Blagoevgrad met with the president of the opposition party VMRO-DPMNE Hristian Mickoski, present at the opening of the club, rejoiced “traitor, garbage!”, “Macedonia is Bulgarian!” and “Serbia pays you!”.
VMRO determined private initiative as another anti-bulgarian provocation from Skopje.
Officially though Skopje distanced themselves and announced that a controversial Canadian organization was behind this club.
The creation of the two Bulgarian clubs in North Macedonia – “Vancho Mihailov” in Bitola and “Tsar Boris III” in Ohrid – was also accompanied by provocations. The first club was set on fireand the author – released. At the opening of the second, stones and eggs were thrown.
North Macedonia’s parliament adopted a law on Wednesday that does not allow cultural organizations and clubs in the country to use namesconsidered by the authorities to be associated with fascism.
That was it a sort of response to Bulgarian clubs with controversial names figures that open up in the country and provoke protests.
Under the new legislation, newly opened Bulgarian clubs with controversial names must change their name within three months or be deleted from the central register, where all clubs and societies must be registered.
On October 31, the authorities of North Macedonia banned the creation of a new Bulgarian association named after King Ferdinand.
The registration request was submitted by the Bulgarian association in the city of Bogdantsi.
