Protest Over Greece’s Macedonia Compromise

Thousands of people from across Greece gathered in the capital, Athens, on Sunday to show their disapproval of the Greek government’s potential compromise in a long-standing dispute with neighbor Macedonia over its official name. The protest follows another rally in Thessaloniki, the capital of Greece’s Macedonia Province, a fortnight ago when thousands turned out to demonstrate against the government’s rumored compromise, DW reported. The naming dispute arouses strong passions among Greeks who consider Macedonia, the ancient kingdom ruled by Alexander the Great, to be an integral part of their homeland. They claim the exclusive right to the name Macedonia. The dispute broke out after Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Greece says its neighbor’s name implies claims over its own province of Macedonia and wants it changed. Skopje counters the claim, saying the country has been known as Macedonia for a long time.