Читај на македонски 6342 Press Release Press Release Mike Angelidis (Angelevski), Former NHL Player, Joins the Our Name Is Macedonia Campaign in Defence of Macedonia and Macedonians October 28, 2018 6342 When asked by Macedonian Human Rights Movement International to make a statement in support of Macedonia and against any Western-imposed name change, former Tampa Bay Lightning player, Mike Angelidis (Angelevski), emphatically said "Yes." He followed up with a tweet, in which he wrote: "I'm a Canadian Macedonian who is shocked that the west is forcing Macedonia to change its name and our identity in order to appease other people. Calling on high-profile Macedonians to use their influence to demand international support for our human rights. Our Name Is Macedonia" This is a welcome departure from other Macedonian celebrities, as Mr. Angelidis immediately came to the defence of all Macedonians' most basic human rights. Other well-known Macedonians, citing the excuse that this is a "political” issue have declined to support their own ethnic group. When needed, other celebrities of different backgrounds, as they should, support their own human rights with no hesitation. With roots from Armensko and Bouf in Aegean Macedonia, Mr. Angelidis points out that the Prespa Agreement mandates that the identity of Macedonians even outside the Republic of Macedonia be changed. Mr. Angelidis asked, "How can the West impose a new identity on an entire ethnic group to appease a country intent on our destruction? Greece already changed the last names of hundreds of thousands of Macedonians, including mine, in an attempt to eradicate our existence." MHRMI and Mr. Angelidis reiterate our call for well-known Macedonians to demand an end to the US/EU-imposed name change. The violation of an entire country and ethnic group's human rights to appease a racist foreign policy objective cannot be left unchallenged. MHRMI thanks Mr. Angelidis for his support of the Our Name Is Macedonia campaign and his vehement defence of all Macedonians. We await, and expect, other high-profile Macedonians to join us in defending our homeland.
