Through daily, mass protests, the Macedonian people gave the regime a resounding NO to the EU-backed, French-sponsored Bulgarian demands to completely abandon Macedonians' identity, language, culture and history, yet it still pushed through passing of the "French Proposal" (as it is known), all for a chance at negotiating potential EU membership.*

Bulgaria's demands include: renouncing the existence of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria; renouncing the Macedonian language, nation, and culture as a whole; adoption of official Bulgarian policy that everyone and everything Macedonian is "really Bulgarian"; the revision of Macedonian history to deny that Bulgaria was an ally of Nazi Germany during World War II, occupied Macedonia, and committed heinous war crimes against Macedonians, including the expulsion of over 7,000 Macedonian Jews to the Treblinka death camp in Poland; and that Bulgaria be referred to as a "liberator" instead of an occupier of Macedonia.

Instead of condemning and reprimanding Bulgaria for a clear violation of the EUcharter, the European Union fully backed Bulgaria – as it did with Greece when it demandedthe Macedonia name change – and set the full acceptance of Bulgaria's ultimatum as a condition for Macedonia's EU membership bid.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited and addressed Macedonian Parliament on July 14 and, among a series of controversial statements, had the audacity to: praise the regime's human rights record despite blatant and mass violations; applaud the "Prespa Agreement", which was rejected by Macedonians in a referendum on September 30, 2018 yet illegally passed by the regime, forcibly changing Macedonia's name into the highly derogatory "North Macedonia" – specifically designed to negate Macedonians' ethnic identity; and even call on Macedonians to renounce their own identity by accepting the French Proposal "for the sake of the children". She reiterated her shocking plea in a tweet.

MHRMI President, Bill Nicholov, condemned von der Leyen's evoking of Macedonian children's "European future" being contingent on the abandonment of their identity, the covering up of Bulgarian Nazi atrocities and murder of Macedonians in World War II, the acceptance of Bulgaria's ludicrous and blatantly false historical revisionism, all to – as Bulgaria publicly declares – erase the existence of Macedonians as an ethnic group, and being taught all of this in school as "fact".

Since Greece and Bulgaria opened the door to anti-Macedonian historical revisionism, MHRMI points out the irony in Greece and Bulgaria's appropriation of Macedonian history, culture, language and identity when forging their own identities.

Instead of engaging in redefining history and assisting Greece and Bulgaria in their anti-Macedonian campaigns, the European Union should simply abide by its own Charter of Fundamental Rights, namely:

TITLE III - EQUALITY, Article 21: Non-discrimination

1. Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.

and its Preamble:

The Union contributes to the preservation and to the development of these common values while respecting the diversity of the cultures and traditions of the peoples of Europe as well as the national identities of the Member States and the organisation of their public authorities at national, regional and local levels;

Macedonian Human Rights Movement International reiterates its demand for equal treatment for Macedonians, condemnation of the regime in Macedonia, the EU and its member-states for their anti-Macedonian policies, and an end to the silence and complicity of Members of European Parliament.

* MHRMI is against EU and NATO membership for Macedonia as these organizations blatantly defy their "values of spreading democracy and human rights".

Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) has been active on human and national rights issues for Macedonians and other oppressed peoples since 1986. MHRMI demands respect for Macedonia's name, identity and human rights for oppressed Macedonians in the Balkans. For more information: 1-416-850-7125, info@mhrmi.org, mhrmi.org, twitter.com/mhrmi, facebook.com/mhrmi, instagram.com/MacedonianHumanRights #OurNameIsMacedonia