FYROMITES feign shock

Burning of the Greek National flag by Slavic FYROMITE protesters.

Abalinx 6 March 2018 Peter Adamis

I found it amusing that the ABC had the gall to allow one of its far flung journalists to report on a festival cum rally by the Melbourne Slavic Fyromite community. Furthermore, I had not realised that the ABC was in the habit of Fake News and yet, on the morning of Tuesday 6 March 2018, we have a young journalist with the name of Joseph Dunstan reporting “from wait for it”, the Pilbara region in far North West Australia. A copy of the article may be downloaded by clicking on: MELBOURNE SLAVIC FYROMITE COMMUNITY FEIGN SHOCK BY RACIST GRAFFITI

What is equally amazing is that this young fellow is originally from Melbourne Victoria and I can only guess that his post on the ABC was as result of information fed to him.   I don’t make it a habit to write about another journalist unless their facts they present are not what they seem. Frankly I am disappointed in this young bloke as he appears to be intelligent and yet has decided to seek adventure in far North West Australia. A far cry from making something of himself in his home state. I has stated the above because I am of the belief that what he has stated appears to be true and yet after reading carefully his post, I am left bewildered and confused even further.

Allow me to give him a history lesson in order that he sharpen his quill and his skills at ferreting out the truth when writing a yarn and not one that appears to be full of innuendoes, fibs and caricatures based on one’s poor knowledge of history. I apologise if in advance if I have erred in underestimating the journalists skills and abilities and his knowledge of historical facts, but there are times when such matters need to be said.  According young Joseph Dunstan the facts are as follows:

  1. Used an incorrect ABC report based on assumptions and gleaned from other news media sources:  Decades-old dispute over the Republic of Macedonia’s name.
  2. Incorrect use of the name “Macedonia” to represent the Slavic FYROM nation. A nation that has not been recognised by the Australian Government.
  3. Incorrectly spelling the name of the National coordinator of the Pan-Macedonian Federation of Australia.
  4. Referring to the Pan-Macedonian Federation of Australia, as the Greek community from the Macedonia region of northern Greece; yet at the same time refers to the Melbourne Slavic community as representing Melbourne’s Macedonian community.                                                                                      
  5. He refers to comments made by Sash Nikolovski, who said “I was actually quite shocked, I didn’t realise anything like that would occur at a place that has in excess of 350 junior kids.” Furthermore Father Mile Taleski stated “We’ve got parishioners coming here, we’ve got kids – most of their friends are Greek – what should we explain to those little kids.” Having said these comments, why did the Slavic FYROMITE community bring their young children to the festival cum rally last weekend to witness acts of racism, burning a nations flag, intimidating the public, threatening and spitting on Australian Greek businesses and displaying racist slogans.  The children in some cases holding the racist banners and watching the burning of the Greek flag. The point I am making in this case is the hypocrisy of Sash Nikolovski and Father Mile Taleski.
  6. In one line this young journalist writes the following about the Australian Greeks: ‘There were also reports of similar displays of anti-Greek sentiment at the weekend rally’. My question is whether young Joseph Dunstan was biased in his reporting, using second hand reports or merely adding fuel to the fire to make it appear sensational. I guess sensationalism sells news and makes money – forgetting if it’s true or not.
  7. The writing on the walls are incorrectly spelled, poor grammar and the work of an illiterate whoever the culprit may be. Those who read and write Greek fluently can tell the difference and it would also appear that someone has googled the translation and made to look like it was Greek.
  8. Nor was there any reporting by the ABC or any images of vandalism, racist comments, hate statements, banners and burning of flags (see images above) against the Australian Greek community by the Slavic FYROMITE community. The ABC should be condemned for such poor reporting and should take measures to describe accurately events and items that are of public interest.

As for the history lesson on what constitutes Macedonia, young Joseph Dunstan, the ABC journalist will have to go back to the drawing board and do his homework. I am quite sure that given his age he will be well acquainted with online research skills and be computer savvy to arrive a conclusion on finding the truth. I am reluctant to go further with this matter, but I am stickler for the truth and will always attempt to bring to light the fibs, the propaganda, the untruths, misinformation and the downright fake news and lies.

The public should be mindful of poor reporting, misinformation and the distribution of material intended to sensationalise news and inflame the passions in any dispute or disagreement that has the potential for violent outcomes or anti-social behaviour. Should journalist take that road of irresponsible reporting then they too should be held accountable. The public has news at their fingertips, they want the news now not tomorrow and it must be the truth. The public have a right to the truth, especially from an organisation that is funded by the tax payer.

Racists and defamatory banners held by Slavic FYROMITE demonstrators.

Having said the above, I would like readers to note that I am not denigrating the skills of the ABC journalist skills, nor am I attacking him, but I do question his manner of reporting as not being what it should be. I am certainly no expert at reporting as many of my articles are based on personal experiences and opinions are that of my own. I am sure that young Joseph Dunstan has a bright future ahead of him and I wish him luck, but I do want him to learn from this experience. If he does not then his ego is bigger than his abilities to report in an unbiased fashion.

In closing I would like to point out that I am nowhere as good as my professional colleagues who write for a living, nor do I consider myself at their level.  My professional colleagues would chuckle at my poor attempts at Freelance journalism but one thing that they cannot criticise me is that I do seek the truth by checking my sources thoroughly. If I am unable to do that then I will make a comment that what I have written was based on heresy or that it was alleged. 

With regards to the title of this article I have used the words “feign shock” because the acts themselves are not compatible with what is being stated and therefore I am disappointed by the negative actions of the Melbourne Slavic FYROMITE community. I was hoping for a better outcome and a foundation to be laid for discussions and reconciliation. It is my opinion that the hostilities and negative aspects of the old country should not be transferred into Australian society. Joseph Dunstan’s profile can be viewed below in the ABC article.

Peter Adamis is a Journalist/Social Media Commentator and writer. He is a retired Australian military serviceman and an Industry organisational & Occupational (OHS) & Training Consultant whose interests are within the parameters of domestic and international political spectrum.  He is an avid blogger and contributes to domestic and international community news media outlets as well as to local and Ethnic News.  He holds a Bachelor   of Adult Learning & Development (Monash), Grad Dip Occupational Health & Safety, (Monash), and Dip. Training & Assessment, Dip Public Administration, and Dip Frontline Management. Website: abalinx.com Contact via Email: [email protected] or via Mobile: 0481 342 791

 

Melbourne’s Macedonian community ‘shocked’ by racist graffiti on community buildings

JOSEPH DUNSTAN Tuesday 6 March 2018   1:37AM

The graffiti at the football club said “death to you all”. 

Melbourne’s Macedonian community has been shocked by a spree of violent and racist graffiti sprayed onto its community buildings.   Tension between Melbourne’s Greek and Macedonian communities has been high in recent weeks, as their governments try to resolve a decades-old dispute over the Republic of Macedonia’s name.   The city’s Greek community marched in protest of the issue last month, and on Sunday the Macedonian community took to Melbourne’s CBD to stage their own rally.  

Members of the Lalor United Sloga Football Club, in Melbourne’s north, said they were stunned to find anti-Macedonian racial slurs and the phrase “death to you all” graffitied onto their club building on Monday morning. Club committee member Sash Nikolovski said his five-year-old son played at the club.  “I was actually quite shocked, I didn’t realise anything like that would occur at a place that has in excess of 350 junior kids,” he said.  “Politics should never be part of sport at all. We’re there to enjoy playing a nice game of football … we all want to see our children have a bit of a run around.

The Macedonian Orthodox Church of St Nikola was also targeted with the words “f*** Skopje”.  “We don’t want to see that sort of terminology and vandalism put all over the walls of the club. It’s just unfortunate.”   Graffiti ‘barbarism’  

Graffiti also appeared at the Macedonian Orthodox Church of St Nikola in Preston saying “f*** Skopje”, a reference to the Republic of Macedonia’s capital city.   Father Mile Taleski from the church said the vandalism was monstrous and divisive.  “We’ve got parishioners coming here, we’ve got kids — most of their friends are Greek — what should we explain to those little kids,” he said.  “I was in awe, not understanding how we can explain this to the younger generation … this vandalism only shows barbarism and disgrace.  “Whoever did this has nothing spiritual in them … probably they wanted to create tensions … or increase the tension.”

The community said it had reported the incidents to the police and local council workers have been clearing the graffiti away. There were also reports of similar displays of anti-Greek sentiment at the weekend rally.   PHOTO Club committee member Sash Nikolovski was “shocked” by the graffiti.   FACEBOOK: LALOR UNITED SLOGA FOOTBALL CLUB

Peter Iassonides, the national coordinator of the Pan-Macedonian Federation of Australia, which represents the Greek community from the Macedonia region of northern Greece, strongly condemned the actions.   “We are respectful of other people’s property and in this instance, other people’s places of worship,” he said.  “There’s no place in a democratic society, there’s no place in a multicultural society for things like this to be taking place, there has to be respect, mutual respect.”

He said the defacement of flags and places of worship was at odds with the spirit of multiculturalism and he would ask the state’s Multicultural Commission to intervene.  “[To] ask if they can mediate, to organise a meeting between the two so we can discuss [it],” Mr Iassonides said.  “So at least we’re on the same page when it comes to such violence, the burning of flags and that sort of stuff.”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-05/macedonia-community-shocked-by-racist-degrading-graffiti/9512706

Joseph Dunstan is a journalist in the northern WA town of Karratha, covering news right across the Pilbara and Gascoyne.  Originally from Melbourne before jumping into regional Victoria, Joseph spent his first few years with the ABC producing the Statewide Drive program in Ballarat, where he learnt how to spell town names like Upotipotpon and Quambatook, and zoom from Gippsland to Sunraysia without leaving the desk.  But after a couple of years, new adventure called and in late 2015 he moved to the dusty red soils of the Pilbara, where he enjoys presenting local stories and debates across North West WA between 9 and 11am on air.  If you want to get a story to him, you can find him on Twitter @josephdunstan. Last updated: Mon, 16 May 2016 16:59:00 +1000 http://www.abc.net.au/profiles/content/s4299614.htm?site=northwestwa

 

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