Press Release
Press Release
Action Alert: MHRMI Demands Immediate Resignation of Racist Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis
MHRMI letter published in Embassy Newspaper - Macedonians Demand Karygiannis's Resignation (.pdf)
Online Article - Embassy (Canada's Foreign Policy Newsweekly)
Toronto, Canada - 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.
Members of Parliament
http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E
Liberal Party of Canada
81 Metcalfe Street, Suite 600
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6M8
Telephone: (613) 237-0740
Fax: (613) 235-7208
info@liberal.ca
Conservative Party of Canada
#1204 - 130 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5G4
Toll free: (866) 808-8407
Phone: (613) 755-2000
New Democratic Party of Canada
300 - 279 Laurier West
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5J9
Telephone: 613-236-3613
Toll Free: 1-866-525-2555
Fax: 613-230-9950
TTY: 1-866-776-7742
Green Party of Canada
305-75 Albert Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7
Toll-free: 1-866-868-3447
Telephone: (613) 562-4916
Fax: (613) 482-4632
info@greenparty.ca
leader@greenparty.ca
Bloc Quebecois
3730, boul. Cremazie Est
4e etage
Montreal (Quebec)
H2A 1B4
Telephone: 514 526-3000
Telecopieur: 514 526-2868
###
Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) has been active on human and national rights issues for Macedonians and other oppressed peoples since 1986. For more information, please visit www.mhrmi.org, or contact MHRMI at 416-850-7125, or info@mhrmi.org
Online Article - Embassy (Canada's Foreign Policy Newsweekly)
Toronto, Canada - 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.
Members of Parliament
http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E
Liberal Party of Canada
81 Metcalfe Street, Suite 600
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6M8
Telephone: (613) 237-0740
Fax: (613) 235-7208
info@liberal.ca
Conservative Party of Canada
#1204 - 130 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5G4
Toll free: (866) 808-8407
Phone: (613) 755-2000
New Democratic Party of Canada
300 - 279 Laurier West
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5J9
Telephone: 613-236-3613
Toll Free: 1-866-525-2555
Fax: 613-230-9950
TTY: 1-866-776-7742
Green Party of Canada
305-75 Albert Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7
Toll-free: 1-866-868-3447
Telephone: (613) 562-4916
Fax: (613) 482-4632
info@greenparty.ca
leader@greenparty.ca
Bloc Quebecois
3730, boul. Cremazie Est
4e etage
Montreal (Quebec)
H2A 1B4
Telephone: 514 526-3000
Telecopieur: 514 526-2868
###
Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) has been active on human and national rights issues for Macedonians and other oppressed peoples since 1986. For more information, please visit www.mhrmi.org, or contact MHRMI at 416-850-7125, or info@mhrmi.org