If they think they will silence us, they are wrong. We will not run away, we were born here and we will die here. We are not afraid, we are Vanchomihailovists. The verdict for me is an honor and a diploma. We want equal rights with all peoples in the RSM, nothing more. We do not want privileges, but we will not stop.
This is how one of the most prominent representatives of the Bulgarian community and chairman of the Bulgarian cultural club “Ivan Mihaylov” in Bitola, which was closed by the authorities, Ljubcho Georgievski, commented on the sentence handed down to him by a Macedonian court. It is conditional for a period of 1 year, with a 2-year probationary period. The case against him is for xenophobia, racism and spreading racial hatred electronically, through quotes from Ivan Mihaylov.
"In these two years, I cannot share quotes from historical figures who are Bulgarians - this is racial hatred. And Mickoski and his team often send offensive messages to Bulgarian politicians. Skopje does not want to comply with the signed agreements with Bulgaria - the Treaty of Good Neighborhood and the so-called French proposal, which aims to protect the constitutional rights of Bulgarians. Macedonia is still living in a Yugoslav dream. In Bitola, for example, the high school is called "Josip Bros Tito". Skopje has chosen the path of Moscow, it is far from European values," Georgievski commented.
Recently, Georgievski met in Sofia with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, and before that - with Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev.