Western Thrace, Contested Space: The Turks of northeast Greece | People and Power
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- Greece has a proud reputation as the birthplace of democracy, of government by the people, for the people.
But to the ethnic Turkish minority of Thrace in the country's northeast, who say they have suffered decades of discrimination from the state, that is not how it often seems.
We sent filmmaker Glenn Ellis to investigate.
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So much false information, that I don't know from where to start. No one buys your unhistorical content Jazzera, keep that in mind.
Ωραίος!
Τρικαλος Νικο
Η φωνή της λογικής πάμε να τους διαλυσουμε την προπαγάνδα
Κλασικός Νίκος και κλασικό ανατολίτικο μισελληνικο ύφος.
@ τι εννοεις με αυτο
Inform us Al Jazeera about the Lausanne treaty and the fate of the "protected" Greek minority in Istanbul, how from 200,000 about 100 years ago, now only about 2000 are left, mostly very elderly. What happened to them? Tell us and then make comparisons to western thrace, if you dare..
Alexis Gateley yes hello, I am a decented at of one of those greeks. A lot of us just became Turkish nothing happened to us. Most likely half the population of turkey is ethnically greeks who were made turks (they were also made greeks 1000 years before that). So yeah there’s more ethnic greeks in turkey than Greece more likely :)
Mostly we are Anatolian natives! Were made greek a few thousand years ago, then made turks 1000-100 years ago. Before that we were Sumerians, hittites, lidians, hundreds of cool anatolian civilizations!
We are mostly the same people therefore don’t listen to western controlled media like this trying to seperate us :) seperate, we are weaker, easier to control
@@Cex-ev6be google search "istanbul pogrom 1955", select "images", have a look and then tell me in which side your ancestors were. Malarkey and anatolian story telling does not work with me, I trust facts not fiction.
@@Cex-ev6be you mast see ferst yior DNA and RNA and after you are okay to get Sepoukou syhtir pounietero bairakmerda
Ce5x37788 8 we’re not talking about assimilated people. This issue concerns actual protected minorities
Alexis Gateley if I can answer your question the Greeks were ethically cleansed along with the DescriptionThe Armenian Genocide was the systematic mass murder and expulsion of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians carried out in Turkey. Of course the Turks historically have always lied about this.
Turks celebrate the capture of Constantinople annually. Funny way to say “let’s bury the hatchet”
Turkey is currently in conflict with all of her neighbors and then we get questions about the hostility towards Turks.
Honestly? Getting upset that ottoman monuments are falling into disrepair? You do realize those are monuments of conquest and oppression, right?
This whole video is bizarre
de stapan kala.kapoia alli xora trogetai me tous geitonous.ainte.
@@devacalis7380 η δικιά σου
Εχει καταπάτηση συριακο ,Κυπριακό έδαφος
Τώρα υποστηρίζει τζιχαντιστες στην Λιβύη
Απειλή την Ελλάδα
Και μιλάς για εμάς? Τράβα στην Τουρκία
We are not at war with any of our neighbors except Syria. Iran? Iraq? Greece? Bulgaria? Azerbaijan? Georgia? Armenia?
Ce5x37788 8 I said “conflict” not “war”
@@focast1825 You're talking about the times of conquerors. Before that you conquered and spread too. You still hold these monutements. Well, good morning. Humans fought with each other since the beginning of groups, communities, tribes. Don't get all mad because you got conquered eventually, they got conquered as well. As for the conflict, as a person who follows Middle Eastern media daily, not really. Only conflict is between Syria and occasionally Greece. They're even doing good with Erbil's Kurdistan for a few years. Tensions tend to get rough with others sometimes but so does in the world.
This is pure propaganda
The Lausanne Treaty clearly declares the religious status of the community as muslim , they signed it like it or not
Now the turkish consulate tries for years to make them turks with persistence
Nobody ever talks about Pomaks and how they want to label them as Turks as well
I live in the region and nothing of this so called "pressure" is on
This is some next level hypocrisy... playing victim card as usual....
whatever you don't like you call it fake hypocricy etc etc we know its an old boring game.get a life.
@@devacalis7380 Keep barking sandeater.
@@devacalis7380 you don't like it? Then feel free to move to your homeland in Turkey ;-)
@@ismailtunacan2197 The way the rest of us see it they have no problems at all.
@@grinchspoiler2956maybe turkey needs to move its troops to Thrace like they did in northern Cyprus!
Please Al Jazeera tell me about the prosperity of Turkey's Greek population
They live pretty well
@@luciepr8620 all of them got genocided or forced to leave not even one thousand lives there
NA MAS PEIS ESY KSEROLA.
@@DimiosTheGreatGR Im a greek living in Turkey and it is pretty good, don't see you're issue? Mabye because you live in Greece and just hear what the media says? ζήσε τη ζωή
@@luciepr8620 yea pretty good
My family was from those lands and had to leave same as million more
And if you are Greek you wouldn't call our occupied lands turkey but Μικρά Ασία
One thing : the Greek population of turkey went from millions to 2000 in the last 100 years while the Turkish minority in Greece doubled in size
Hahah you are delusional mate. There were about a million Turks in the current territory that is Greece.
@@hy8606 To what time in history are you reffering to? It is known for sure that during the big population exchange in 1923 about 1,2 million greeks had to leave Turkey (exept the greeks of Istanbul and the islands Tenedos and Imbros) and about 400.000 turks had to leave greece (exept the turks of western thrace). But thats not even the situation I nor this video is directly reffering to. This video only talks about the truks that were aloud to stay in Greece (western thrace) after the population exchange of 1923. So with my comment I was reffering to the greek population that stayed in Turkey after 1923, which nowadays only consists of about 2000 civilians due to several pogroms and violance against greeks, while the turkish population of western thrace (Greece) doubled in size
@@benuncle3745 greek population of Istanbul was around 90k after pop echange of 1923. Pop exchange was requested by the Greek govt
@Cansu Джансу most of them escaped in Turkey so stfu
Evet Türk azınlık. Onlar Türk olduklarını söylüyorlar zaten.
500 years of slavery from Turks, WE WILL NEVER FORGET. Al Jazzera is doing propaganda as always...literally unbelievable ;)
@Polemarch For God's sake. You are ridiculous
@Pulcino Pio it was slavery , for sure ; Unbelievably high taxation , first born children abducted for the janissary cause , hindering trade inside the empire ( until the treaty of kücük-kaynarca which ended the Russo-Turkish war of 1774 , after which trade flourished in Greece ; since russian licences gave way for the increase in trading . However ,many speculate that the treaty had a negative impact in the greek industry , since Greek capital turned on sea activities . There is no doubt though that this accelerated economical development) . All this kept the local population impoverished , while at the same time religion and language was suppressed .
@Lethean In what way did Turks feed Greeks? where do you get that? The Ottoman Empire was the conqueror. It strived to increase its power and conquered lands and it made sense for them to do so. The Greeks were the conquered people. They paid immense taxes (per capita) that fluctuated depending on the Pasha's whims and were ruled by a power that occupied them from 1453 to 1821 (approximately). Aside from administrative centers in the Greek areas (such as Tripoli), during the Ottoman occupation most areas were underdeveloped and people were poor, as Ottomans only cared about collecting taxes. As long as taxes were paid, people could just drop dead for all the Ottomans cared. Some seafaring areas were doing better, but, overall, the Ottomans did not affect Greeks in a positive way. Greeks were certainly not viewed as equals to the Muslim population and there were very very few mixed marriages between the two ethnicities and that is an indication that Greeks were viewed even then as a distinct group. Calling the Greek revolution a treacherous act is calling the right to be free, the right to self-determination and the right to self-government treason. It's like saying that the Kurds are traitors, or the Indians (proper ones - not American "indians"), or the Kosovars. I get why you are bitter about it. Your empire got dismembered partly because of the Greek revolution. You lost a big chunk of it back then. You still view things from a 15th century perspective and refuse to acknowledge that it is unconscionable for a 21st century nation to be denied its existence simply because occupation serves the goals of its oppressors. Turkey was the occupying power and always has been. As long as that continued to be the case, people would keep protesting against it. Alas, there is no point in discussing that though. Hatred and animosity against one another has already begun spreading exponentially amongst both the Turkish and Greek people and I expect that words and common sense will soon lose all power in the face of propaganda in both countries. In that sense, no matter if our arguments prove to be right or wrong, we will still hate each other and that will be a sad day for us all... Considering that you obviously dislike Greeks, based on you comment, we're already half-way there.......
@@christermi Would you prefer Spanish Inqusition?
Oh, no one expects the Spanish inqusition !
May be you would be Latinised by now , your language would be forgotten.
you would be catholic .
By no means you were able to protect yourselves from Slavicization or Latinisation. ,
We put a protection shell on you , during the most troubled era of Europe you were immaculate. No one was enough brave to attack Ottoman property and Ottoman's didn't force you religion or language .
After 600 years of incubation you hatched and started to attack us .Little poor chick.
Bombogor , turkey has tried to erase hellenism numerous times
First of all , after the failed russian led uprising in the aegean islands and epirus during the Russo-Turkish of the 1770s , the sultan decided to exterminate every greek of the empire , but he was talked out of this by his advisors who considered the income from taxes significant to the empire. Also during the Greek war of independence , the sultan gave the order to Ibrahim to kill every greek living in the rebellious regions of the peloponnese and central greece , which resulted in some hundreds of thousand deaths in the peloponnese alone . Let's not mention places like Chios , Psara and Kasos , islands whose entire population was massacred or sold into slavery by the turks ( we're talking about 30-60 thousand people in every island respectively) .
Also ,Turkey , by invading the island of cyprus , created a HUMANITARIAN CRISIS with thousands killed or missing , hundreds of thousands forced to flee , just so that the small MINORITY of 18 percent could be the majority wherever they wanted ! take into consideration that the reason they first came to the island were economic , and their new presence was mainly in the Cities . Adding to that , turkey later made sure to increase the turkish population of the CONQUERED areas of cyprus by sending turkish nationals into the island !!!! A TOTAL INFRINGEMENT OF ALL INTERNATIONAL TREATIES ( for instance Geneva convention) .
A further attempt by turkey to erase the hellenic presence , this time in Istanbul in the 6th of september 1955 , pogroms of Constantinople . Damage inflicted to the properties of its greek residents is estimated to have cost more than a billion US dollars(2008)/300 million dollars(1955) , leaving thousands of greeks with just their clothes , while 1004 houses (2500 more had extended damages inflicted upon them ) , 4348 stores , 26 schools , 21 factories, 73 churches etc. were destroyed , essentially bankrupting the local population . It's worth mentioning that rapes were as high as two thousand, with just two hundred being reported. The motive for the attack was a bombing attack in Thessalonica in the house of kemal , which was later revealed to have been planned and executed by the Turkish government .
Let's not talk about the Pontiac GENOCIDE , where for instance in the city of Samsus half of a total of 700 thousand residents were mercilessly killed by the the turks , and in which more that a million were brutally chased down , essentially cleansing the area of its Greek element.
These are our "friends" , the turks . They hope that we forget about their crimes , but there is no forgetting !
Hahahaha pure turkish propaganda against greece after the humiliation at the borders.Turkish ladies stop crying😂
Greece is doing great .
HYPER BEAST lazy people shut up
@@jigsaw2253 Cry😘
HYPER BEAST 🖕🏻😎
@@jigsaw2253 🦃🦃🦃
Total rubbish and false facts! Shame on the reporters.
Joseph Goebbels would be proud of this.
This video is propaganda
Hitler copies Turkish genociders, he was laughing in one of his speeches that the Armenian issue has been taken care of. Erdogan copies Hitler.
@@orthodoxtruth1999 Those people have suffered and we just see what neonazis and the corupt police have done to them with proofs and testimonials and yet you deny instead of take the responsibility and fix it. How pathetic.
Kemal Ataturk would be more proud of Cengiz
@Cansu Джансу nope, it's not.
They should get the same treatment as ethnic minority's in turkey won't be all talk then would they
everyone needs to bring up the fact that “turks” are just the product of forced turkification
Kristov818 so are “greeks” and many other people’s. They were just turkified 1000 years after they were greekified.
Ce5x37788 8 yes greeks still exist as greeks so no point of forced turkification
How DARE Greece not maintain monuments of the empire that stole their children away??
@c and you shouldn't complain about paybacks.
@c we shot a turk once and you stopped. But it had already been too late
@s just because you can speak that doesn't make you smart
Before any question these people should be asked:
Do they recognize the pontic & armenian genocide? Do they condemn the turkish state for racist crimes against humanity and against minorities?
Secondly, what is the quality of life in turkey compared to greece? a lot worse, low income, low education, far behind the EU Greece...
These balkan people were oppressed by Turks and changed their religion and 'ethnicity'.Now this generation practise freely their religion and Greece pays to teach them turkish and have equal rights with other Greeks.On the other hand Greek minority in Constantinople,Imbros and Tenedos are gone due to turkish policy,'Istanbul pogrom',open prison on Imbros etc.
@John Mason care to give any examples ?
@John Mason interesting! The ottomans and turks didn't forced orthodox Christians to convert. Just killed and deported theme. So simple, so clean, so civilized, so ottoman to the bones. Now, i understand, what "ottoman courtesy" means.
@John Mason maybe not the islands you mentioned , but the *whole population of the islands of Chios , Samothraki , Psara and Kasos was exterminated or sold into slavery* .
@John Mason You casually avoid mentioning that every first born son of any christian family was taken away from his family in a very young age , in order to be trained as a janissary . Adding to that , the christians of the empire used to pay abnormally large taxes , something that would change only if the person switched his faith to islam .
@@christermi Yes and if they are clever they may become a pasha or vezir or architect . What a horrible end for a human .
Τhe only contested space is Constantinople :)
Stop spreading Turkish propaganda
truth always hurts
@@azerbaycanturkiye3784 yes, it hurts you nimrods lol
This video is fake.Population in region of Thrakia (Xanthi, Komotini) have one ethnic group, Greeks call him "Pomaki", he spoke Greeks but origin is not Turkish.Pomaki use all human rights like Greek Ortodox population.Why All Jazeera didn't present to world whats hapend with Greek population in Turkey 1922.? In region Kapadokia,Konstantinopoli, Smyrna,Pontos, Mikri Asia... was genocid against Greek civils.Greece belong to brave Greek people, our ortodox brothers.Strong suport for Greece from Serbia.
But people in this video is turkish
Thank you man for saying it out loud! I appreciate it. God bless!
Pomaki are ethnical bulgarians who were forced to accept islam !
Bu insanlar biz Türküz diyorlar. Onlara zorla başka etnik kimlik dayatmaktan vazgeçin
Bu videoda gördüğünüz insanlar Türkçe konuşuyor ve Türk olduklarını söylüyorlar. Aloo duydun mu hacitakis
Please Al-Jazeera made documentry on labour in Qatar...
they are hypocrite
Also a good documentary would be on human rights in Islam...
@@ashishrawat4089 you are Nobody only 0,01dinar
@@drewblackmatter6669 hehehe we are 10 times bigger than u and we do not use dinar
Qatar respects more the rights of foreign workers then uae, Saudi Arabia and bahrein.
It's pretty obvious that Al Jazeera isn't neutral on the issue
@Tommiii uncircumcised i didnt know islamophobes could talk
@Tommiii uncircumcised now youre being a turcophobe
That is so right.This is a pure turkish propaganda.
it is kind of understandable that the greek government isnt investing money in keeping the otoman buildings in shape. it has a historic value yes, but we shouldnt forget that greece was under forced occupation by the ottoman empire.
btw: the occupation of northern cyprus is illegal under international law
@Arthur Valkan the opposite is true , get your facts straight, you're not fooling anyone.
@Arthur Valkan so ,what you're trying to say is that you hate wikipedia ? Or just doing basic internet research in general ? Maybe open a book next time .
not your country's history book , that's cold , man .
@Arthur Valkan so , you're not planning to get a DNA test yourself ? Funny thing is that, since there is no distinct nation called macedonia - macedonians are greek obviously - , it is almost guaranteed that you will end up belonging to one of your neighbouring countries, most notably bulgaria .
You present so much false information, I don't know from where to start .
I would recommend a video to be made about the thousands of Greeks who were forced to evacuate Eastern Thrace in 1922. And also another one about the violence that Greeks of Constantinople suffered in 1955.
Whataboutism at its finest. Two wrongs don't make a right.
@@hayal6539 Who cares about 'right' anymore?
İs this true ? Why then whem We check the population status in Wikipedia, it says that 88% of Thrace was turks before 1915 ? Why you blame Turkey ? You win at balkana because of France, the islands because of Italians. You thought that Makedonia Thrace Crete Cuprus the islands are yours amd you killed thousands of turks that were lived there to take back this places. So stop blaming turkish people. War is war. İf you choose the war your people will die too. Not only yout soldiers. So think twice before act like hercule and call for a war or racistic ideas.
@@TnRsPower Of course war is war but thanks to you we have learned a few things about it.
It's 2023 btw.
Listen to 23:09 the narrator mentions the 29th of April 2020 and that turkey not being able to cope with the refugee entering from Syria ,Turkey opening its land border to Greece.....umm was this filmed in the future or something? Bad reporting and incorrect information. Back to future ?
eisai asteios.
The given propaganda paper was not clear. Or the commentator is a robot and can't even think that the date is in future. Anyway the message was sent and the job done
Hahaha very few people noticed that
@@devacalis7380 kai esy geloios.
funny how none of these “turks” look like turkic people, forced turkification of greeks
Kristov818 barely anyone in Turkey looks turkic. There are more ethnic greeks in turkey than there are greeks in Greece. Probably double. Turkey was a multicultural and multiethnic empire like anerica for 700 years, and turks from Asia were mixed with Europeans even long before that.
Edit: “Greeks” are also just forced hellenification of sumerians and lidians and hittites according to your logic.
I am turkish AND I am a geneticist. I can tell you that our genetics are a mix of Europe, Central Asia, Western Asia, and native Anatolian
@@Cex-ev6be well , you're not wrong
Christermi Christos thank you bro I also love Greece and have been there many times. My grandfather is from greece
Ce5x37788 8 siz bizi satmaga devam edin biz sizi abi bileriz bati trakya turklerini satin sevin bu rumlari bakalim
spartan 32 yanlis anladin kardesim ben ankaraliyim kimseyi satmiyorum. Burdaki sacma sapan yorum yapan cahil yunanlilara tarih ogretiyorum
Nice propaganda movie from qatar sponsored by turkey xD ..."land siezed by the state" ...how are you saying these things? Thank god greece is a free counrty and doesn't send the journalists in prison like turkey does xD..
FACIST GREEKS!!! WEST THRACE BELONGS TO TURKEY!!!!
@@rkntuessday-3485 try getting through leopard 2a6 to get it back
@@rkntuessday-3485 just like Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus belongs to Republic of Cyprus
@@anastashsnk1094 HAHAHAHAHAH DO YOU WANNA GO BACK TO SLAVERY SIRTAKI HEAD
@@cheetahgamer8588 KIBRIS TURKTUR TURK KALACAKTIR
The story is what happened to the Greeks of Imvros? Tenedos, Istanbul? They were raped, discriminated against, their properties seized, they’ve lost their jobs, and ultimately they were kicked out - all against the Lausanne Treaty.
why don't you do a documentary of the 200 thousand Greeks of Istanbul in the 1920's until today, were there are 200 left.
Exactly they want to talk about Greece but they forget they forced millions of Greeks to leave their home in istanbul and all over Anatolia
So why are the reports of Turks martyred in Cyprus not made?
@@andreasgeorgopoulos3878 or the Armenian genocide and massacres committed by the eastern novel?
@@_berat.ugur_3089 we would not know about your lala land tails kid, we living in the real world.
Similarly, why not make another one about all those young cypriot women who were raped by the ‘heroic’ mehmecik in 1974? Or about the cypriot prisoners who were executed after they were already captured or surrendered?
History is two sided my friend..not one sided. Remember that
I've visited friends in western Thrace but it didn't feel that Orwellian as it is described, nothing close to that. But I am a Greek so I don't doubt the different experience a Turk or pomak might have in the region
We Pomak people speak Bulgarian ! Why do they lie we are Turkish?
@@Smail345 I don't know. I've met pomaks who claimed to be turkish and I've also met pomaks who claim to be pomaks
@@pits.893 Now you met one who says the truth! We are Bulgarian! We speak the same language. Turkey and Greece brainwashed us to think we are different
@@Smail345 Yeah I don't really care enough about the Pomaks to really ask them. If some say that they are Turks. Then they are Turks
@@Al-nt7jw There are a lot of pomaks who disagree with you
You want to be a Turk? no problem....go to Turkey , its big enough to feed you all. Dont forget to take your ethics with you
You Greeks are too racist and that comment is proof of that documentary
@@incredistibidilite8179 you have created problems before and you will create again thats your nature and your gift to humanity. Its not racism its called History.
@@NikosPer So is your gift to make discrimination and "history" under the racism?
Nios Per As a Turkish Minority member in Western Thrace we are growing up without ethnic toxicity, respecting not only human rights but also animal rights. You are what you feel. DENIAL OF IDENTITY IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY.
@@calikusukusu4499 Do you eat animals?
Ridiculous if you’re going to live in Greece then assimilate to the Greek way of doing things. If Turkish people want Turkish schools then go back to Turkey otherwise learn Greek.
Macedonia is Greece and always has been part of Greece
Arthur Valkan Macedonia is Greece and has always been part of Greece it belongs to Greece. This is what happens when you let people in to Greece they feel that they can change the genealogy by fraudulent claiming it’s their land.
Arthur Valkan Together with Thrace, and sometimes also Thessaly and Epirus, it is part of Northern Greece. Greek Macedonia encompasses entirely the southern part of the region of Macedonia, making up 51% of the total area of the region. It also contains Mount Athos, an autonomous monastic region of Greece.
@Arthur Valkan how do you expect someone to take you seriously, if you continue propagandizing, coming in contrast with historical truths and demographics ? Get your facts straight and stop spreading lies everywhere .
@Arthur Valkan The truth is North Macedonians are descendants of Bulgaria a breakaway tribe that joined the kingdom of Serbia and later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. .North Macedonians were part of the Ottoman empire way longer than Greece. In less than 100 years they have continued to rename and reinvent themselves from Bulgarians to Vardar, Vardar Banavina, to Yugoslavia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and now Northern Macedonian. Fact , you are one confused nation!!
Turks are being treated badly in the Balkans? Good. Why don't you make a video about the genocides that the Turks made in the Balkans for centuries?
Erdogan and Qatar style journalism with Oxford accent: 25 min rife of lies and cheap turkish propaganda directly from the Turkish consultate of Komotini.
My Pomak and Roma friends are betting how much it cost all this...
I am also Pomak and we similar to North Macedonian forgot about our roots and we are actually Bulgarians! Meet your brothers and sisters in Bulgarian part of Rhodopies and see yourself! I have been living in a village close to Xanti and when I went to Bulgaria to see I knew we are the same! We are Bulgarians! It is sad to see how religion separated us from our true identity!
17:52 we lived in anatolia for 1500 years byzantine empire before it fell so thats means its ours also? hmmm
@@ismailtunacan2197 So you're about religious freedom, right? Tell me then, when is Turkey going to reopen the Halki Theological Seminary? When can a Christian service be held again in Aghia Sophia??
LIVED ans LIVE is different
@@YTYY Not that much.
@@grinchspoiler2956 it is in 1500 there was no human rights but now greece claims to be a "democratic free place" while doing this stuff.
@@YTYY True, maybe we should scrap the whole 'democratic free place' then, it has proven to be a failure after all.
The Greeks and Armenians were expelled and killed off from their native towns and villages in Anatolia. There is a difference between wanting to preserve culture and language and strong political allegiance to a state which is regularly threatening to attack Greece and has recently invaded parts of that state. Al Jazeera are clearly reporting with an agenda here
@@KaanBeskardes This shows only a ridiculous side.
if u touch the turks in west trakya remmeber 1974
The Greek minority in Turkey has desapeared in 100 years. The Turkish minority is still in Greece free and happy. Otherwise they would have left to live in Turkey 30 Km away. But nobody wants to live in Turkey. On the contrary. Many thousands of Turks have escaped from Turkey in the last 10 years and now live free and happy in Greece as political refusees. The Turkish-Greeks are equal and very respected by us, the other Greeks.
The Greeks didn't disappeared in Asia Minor. They got assimilated to Turks. The Turks in the northern part of Greece, are genetically mixed with Balkan and Greek people. We are the same people at the end. We should stop war
@@mithridatesi9981 my great grandparents werent assimilated and so did another 2 million greeks who still lived there until 1923 when they were kicked. My great great grandfather got beaten up in the death camps and was a legit genocide survivor so don't you tell me about peaceful assimilation because you are desecrating his memory. Most did assimilate "peacefully" but a significant minority of 2 million never did.
if u touch the turks in west trakya remmeber 1974
and if you want to help them you'll remember 1912
There is no ethnic Turkish minority in Thrace. The Turks have signed that in the treaty of Lausanne and multiple anthropologists have provided evidence that the Pomaks are indigenous people tracing their roοts thousand yrs before Turkish tribes showed up in Asia Minor, let alone Europe and Greece. During the Ottoman (Turkish) occupation of Thrace there were forced conversions to Islam in some cases, in some other cases conversions of convenience aimed to protect their first-born sons from forced conscriptions and their daughters from the harems of lustful Ottoman rulers. In some cases, they were conversions of convenience to avoid taxation and to gain a social advantage. The actress Rita Wilson traces her roots to the Pomac community of Thrace and proudly pronounces that her background is Greek. Her husband received Greek citizenship recently.
There is ethnic turks in greece, not just pomaks.
@@ismailtunacan2197 Prove it.
@Selo Oles Ataturk was gay. A fisherman from Lagadas near Thessaloniki used to f@ck him when he was young.
Dude the treaty of lausanne is said that except western thrace turks and istanbul rums all their own minorities will be moved to their homeland
@@mehmetozturk6249 read the document. Then ask whoever lied to you why are they making an accomplice to a genocide out of you.
This is an example of how you cultivate hatred and wars by spreading misinformation
They can leave if they want bye-bye
texnikos1 they probably would if they had the economic opportunity
@@Cex-ev6be No they would not and i know a lot of rich people who they still chose Greece over Turkey. As a Turk living in Western Thrace i would never go and live in Turkey. I was born here, like all my family members and ancestors. My grandpa fought with this country and i love Greece. I also love Turkey as a country but hate both sides on the political side.
@@whitegptjet this in not political my friend its an agenda , from the lausanne agreement there was a population exchange Turks went to Turkey and Greeks living on East Thrace and asia minor came here , my familly is from a village that is destroyed near the today borders at Didimotiho.
G is for Gaming good for you man I’m from turkey and I love it too, have been to Greece many times also take care we are lucky to live in beautiful countries :)
@@whitegptjet it is our land and it is our wright to live here in Western Thrace. All we ask from Greek goverments to STOP discrimination and assimulation of the Turkish Minority.
I already reported you for false information and propaganda!
Your a fool. This is all true. Wake up.
@@steves.auckerman5966 You're a fool . This is clearly propaganda . Wake up .
Please do some historical research before you post something, Al Jashitra
Xmmmm....how far away is Qatar?.......how are human rights..in Qatar ?........is a democratic country..??..or Turkey is a democratic country..???..well money dont make truth....
And furthermore you don't live in turkey ! You live in GREECE. If you want to have Turkish school and Turkish flags go the border is not far
150k only. Well they can go and live in Turkey. Just move, it's just over the border. How is it a burden. People move all over Europe by the thousands every year.
Don't fall for this lie . There is a muslim minority in the region , in which only a small part consists of ethnic turks .
Do you know what is Lausanne Treaty and why Greece signed it??? Let's have a research don't fall directly.
@@runningtheworldGR I don't think we are talking about the same thing.
@@christermi that's the point. If the minority is so small and not happy then why not simply move over the border. No matter which country one lives in, your focus should be on that country. If they want to be Turks first then live in Turkey. It's right there.
@@christermi but it doesn't bother me. The story is about Turks not happy in Greece.
Let's get some perspective
Why don't we compare Turks living in Greece with Greeks living in Turkey???
I think that answers that!!
Greeks and Armenians in Turkey choose their religious leaders themselves, government dont choose for them unlike Greece
there are 4000 greeks in Turkey. All of them have churches (200 churches in Turkey actually)
@@egeonal6274 No, they just kicked out the majority of them ;-)
Whataboutism
@@KnowDude erdoganism XD
LIES LIES LIES
Now go and have a report on the 20 MILLION KURDS IN TURKEY !!!
Is this the final number? 😂 lets say 79 million kurds live in turkey 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 hahahahahaha omg 😱 20 m kurd hahahahahahahaha 🤪🤪😅
@Salih Kaan maybe less ....😂😂😂
yeah and what? They are living here normally if you dont believe me you can come and check for yourself they are very nice and welcoming people?
@sopto lol they are fighting for independence...
Someone teach Al Çadir about Pontic and Armenian genocide
ge0rgi0 siktir malaka roum
@@aslanats3256 dalama mongol XD
Greece Europe’s only country where Islamic jurists still hold sway.
(Sharia law)
In a move described as a “historic step” by the prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, announced that members of Greece’s 120,000-strong Muslim community would be able to seek recourse in Greek courts in divorce, child custody and inheritance matters rather than take their case to Islamic jurists - a century-old legacy of legislation drafted with the collapse of the Ottoman empire.
Human rights groups have long said the laws discriminate against women. The disgruntled Mufti in the video imposed Sharia law on the Turkish community and to the detriment of women. Greek state reinstated the democratic rights to the minority without a voice!
I am also Pomak and we similar to North Macedonian forgot about our roots and we are actually Bulgarians! Meet your brothers and sisters in Bulgarian part of Rhodopies and see yourself! I have been living in a village close to Xanti and when I went to Bulgaria to see I knew we are the same! We are Bulgarians! It is sad to see how religion separated us from our true identity!
You are correct but those in FYROM would call you a liar.
@@levesd3722 This in Xanti as well! But some people can see the truth
@@Smail345 Of course and I support your claim 100%.
It's Serbia and Yugoslavia's fault. They created this identity from thin air to make you think you weren't Bulgarians and so Bulgaria would have no claim to the area.
Just like what Russia did to Moldova..
What about Greece 🇬🇷 Genocide by Turkey 🇹🇷.
and the Turkish occupation in the northern part of Cyprus.
There is no ethnic Turkish minority in Thrace. The Turks have signed that in the treaty of Lausanne and multiple anthropologists have provided evidence that the Pomacs are indigenous people tracing their routs thousand yrs before Turkic tribes showed up in Asia Minor, let alone Europe and Greece. During the Ottoman (Turkish) occupation of Thrace there were forced conversions to Islam in some cases, in some other cases conversions of convenience aimed to protect their first born sons from forced conscription and their daughters from the harems of lustful Ottoman rulers. In some cases they were conversions of convenience to avoid taxation and to gain a social advantage. The actress Rita Wilson traces her routs from the Pomac community of Thrace and proudly pronounces that her background is Greek. Her husband received Greek citizenship recently.
There is ethnic turks in west thrace
@@tanrnnkuzusu1359 whoever feels as a Turk, is free to go and live in his motherland Turkey!
Greek propaganda
@@hy8606 Sorry, next time go and listen to Erdogan's propaganda. lol
@@kostasdimitrelis1432 Evet onlar kendilerini Türk olarak ifade ediyorlar. Başınızı ağrıtan şey budur.
Thanks, now report on the Turkish discrimination of ethnic Greeks in Turkey.
You make turkish propaganda
this whole video is so one sided and doesnt include the mass extermination of greek minority in smyrna in 1922
Did not ask a a single question to a Christian or Muslim having institutional role regarding your view, no mention of the positive meausures Greek government take for muslim Greeks, no mention of the thousands of years integration of Thrace to the Greek world, no mention about Pomaks and Roma living at Thrace. Instead you choose to present opinions of those known for their role like the president of DEB and her colleague from Germany and Turk mufti Imbraim Serif ??? also as far as i know and if anyone knows otherwise pls correct me no minority muslim member was ever hurt by Golden Dawn at Thrace.
There are not muslim Greeks canım, there are Turks and yes muslim
please elaborate, otherwise this is just a statement
@@MrNkoly0600973 Elaborate what are you kidding me? They say and claim that “they are Turkish” they are speaking exactly the same Turkish of Istanbul. Everywhere in their houses and offices the statement of Atatürk “proud to be Turkish” is published. They are talking about the cultural assimilation you are training to do.
Hey don’t lie to yourself bro, you know better than me what their are haha and that the reason why you are hating them (not bc they are muslim, but bc there are proud to be TURKS)
@@vv-raptor So? If they don't like it they can leave.
@@levesd3722 We want and take the province of the entire Greece back!
After annexion if you don’t like it, you can leave
Thrace belongs to Greece and not to the Turks as she states .
you are first koutromanos i have seen outside of my family!
George Koutromanos which country you in
George Koutromanos Hi George we obviously Greek but we don’t live in Greece, are you in Greece or in another country?
@@mariakoutromanos8232 my parents are from agrafa but now we live in the USA
George Koutromanos no way did you have an uncle Thanasi?
One way infromation as always.. They live in Greece and should respect the Greek rules, norms and values. If they wanna live under turkish flag and rules then go to turkey..
well, then minorities in Turkey should respect the Turkish rules, norms and values right?
@@kizilhan6178 ofcourse! For everyone that does not respect the norms and values of the country it should leave and go to the country of their roots
free West throce...
Incredibly stupid response. These people have been living there for 600 years. This kind of discrimination in 2021 just shows how barbaric and backwards the Greek governing bodies really are. If you feel this threatened, cede Western Thrace back to Turkey.
@@Emerty1 So what? It is easier to tell them to move to Turkey. After all they are not needed.
Funny thing is, many of these culturally Turkish people have anatolian Greek ancestry.
Bu insanlar Türk olduklarını söylüyorlar. Hayır değilsiniz Hayır değilsiniz diyorsunuz. Ne kadar aksini iddia etseniz de onlar Türkler ve öyle hissediyorlar.
@@yusuf3005 Then wtf are they complaining about? They should thank Greece for allowing then to have Mustafa Kemal portraits in their communities
Really Al Jazeera? Contested by whom? Is there a status quo that needs to be settled that I don't know of? The area you are reporting on is Greek territory. period.
My guess is that's the start of another Turkish war expedition....
It remains so, but if Greece were to try to ethnically cleanse like in Cyprus, you bet the Turks would start another war.
@@hy8606 That's the whole point for having that minority there. They are guarantees against a war.
Al fakezeera
why don't you do a documentary of Gökçeada and Bozcaada?
exactly, a genuine interview with Imvriotis Patriarch Barthelemeos but truly unbiased...
How dare you presume what indigenous people identify as?
Welcome to the Balkans.... In a way we are the most democratic region if Europe, since we make sure that everyone in the region oppresses at least one minority
What about turkey does it to kurds on their own land answer that?
@@AliAhmed-cw1io Dude Turkish State TV has 24/7 Kurdish TV Broadcast,
Balkan moment
Quick question: Why doesn't the Turkish government procure for a building? In Greece we always blame the Greek Administration of Education for similar matters, like closing of Greek schools abroad or for defunding schools for the Diaspora etc.
5:06 „Turkish speaking school“ no one wants to assimilate anymore very sad.
You can have a Greek school with a Greek Curriculum and Turkish Language Programs . Easy. But Turkey will use them to push their agenda!
@@rogerdodger8813 Indeed, so it's better for them to have nothing.
Fake documentary of a "media" that usually is not objective. Only one side presented in the video. Some people talking stuff that can not be proved. Finally, a monotone voice that had to suggest "facts" and make the viewers believe in what the authors (no names of the creators btw) want you to believe. Most of the videos of this "media" are like this.
These people are not Turks. Either you have to employ someone who knows history or stop taking money from the real Turks. So simple..
These People clearly look Turks
@@tanrnnkuzusu1359 They are pomaks. They were categorized as turks during the junta due to predjudice, but they are an entirely different people
John Doe pomaks are turks also
@@Terekeme1 No. They are an entirely different people. Thats like saying bosniaks living in bosnia are turks. Granted, there are some actual turks that live in greece that were not displaced during the population exchange with turkey. Unlike turkey, greece didn't force the turks to convert and speak greek
NE MUTLU TURKUM DIYENE
So many lies i have never heard in my life. Al jaserra have you read the treaty of Lausane. There is no turkish miniority in Greece. Turkey himself had sign the treaty.End of story. You are speading fake news.
THAT'S JUST PROPAGANDA
It's funny how these muslim Greek citizens born and growing up in Greece decided or were forced to speak Turkish in front of the camera !!!
I suppose they can immigrate to Turkey if find it impossible to live in an EU country as EU citizens!!!
We visited Xanthi last year and the local people are very nice and friendly both Christian and Muslim we met.
I found the reportage quite biased against Greece. Too many stretches, lies, omissions, even the fact that the Bayezid is the oldest in Europe is inaccurate; Spain has by far the oldest mosques in Europe. The reporter from Millet is often connected with Erdogan, the facts about the greek reality with long court waiting, overzealous police and big classes are omitted. Just few points among many more.
You sould read more about TREATY OF LOZANI before you do this reportage!
@Τζάκ Τζόκ malaka gayrek
@@tanrnnkuzusu1359 Everyone says turgay nowadays, as turkey is used for the bird.
@@tanrnnkuzusu1359 dalama turgay XD
False info. Please more information next time al jazeera,and not only by turks
Lies
Just by reading the title and description one can tell that the creators of this video are clearly preoccupied
as the title is already mentioning "The Turks of northeast Greece" and going even further, just by reading the description
one can tell that is ironic and tries to make fun of the fact that Ancient Greece was the birthplace of democracy on top of that it implies
that Greece needs democracy lessons.
According to the description filmmaker Glenn Ellis was sent to investigate.
Wouldn't it be wise for him to first read about the Treaty of Lausanne before doing so?
One can easily find and i am simply pasting from Wikipedia:
"this major compulsory population exchange, or agreed mutual expulsion,
was based not on language or ethnicity, but upon religious identity"
This means that the criteria for this population exchange,
was only based on religion and thats why we are talking about Muslim minority of Greece
instead of Turkish minority. Correct me if i am wrong.
Finally i want to say that yes we are not perfect and we are not saints,
and indeed this minority and also others has faced racism or discrimination at some point in their life.
But then again tell me about one Country that has erased all racism and discrimination.
This is another topic for discussion.
I live there..unfortunately turks have big problem to express them selfs..greeks don't know history and they can't stand that we have turks in thrace..I have too many turks friends here andthey are really kind.
In fact they can be whatever they want. Just keep it to themselves.
ISMAIL TUNA CAN Your problem. 😁
why can't they express themselves???
@@rogerdodger8813 The Greek Govt says that they are Greek muslim, not Turk..... They ban Turkish language school, The greek Govt direct appointed imam (muslim religious leader) in the mosque who tends to be puppet of the Govt...
The same thing happened in Bulgaria during the communist rule 1980's.... They forced Turks in Bulgaria who are 10% of the population to adopted Slavic name... They ban turkish name, turkish school... Muslim couldn't practice religious feely that time....
yeah right we believe your fake profile...NOT XD
Trust that the amount received for that journalistic carbidge was satisfactory. The sensitivity of the slave traders of Ankara for human beings is globally known.
As a Pomak I know the struggle for identity but if I am honest Pomak people are Bulgarian! We just forgot about it all!
No way! Pomaks are not Bulgarian or Greek or Turkish as well!
@@darkblackexodus What are they then?
@@levesd3722 nobody exactly knows! They are generally Muslim but speak a mix of Bulgarian and Turkish.
@@darkblackexodus I have heard that Pomaks are turkified Bulgarians.
@@levesd3722 according to another claim; Bulgarians are a Turkic clan like Gagauz and slavicified during the years. All Balkan nations have a claim on Pomaks, interesting...
why dont they all move back to Turkey? Is it because they have a better of life in Greece than in their own country?
Go GREECE GO👍👊
This is total propaganda.. why so many lies and let the people live free .. I have been there many times because of my business and I don't see what they say.. what I see..?
I see people do business friendly and open doesn't matter religion and race... Please stop this war ethnicity Fair.. will not end up nowhere.. God bless peace ✌️
GREKS RACICST
Maybe these people should consider moving to Turkey.
As Pomaks did
AL Jazeera money Qatar turkey you know what i mean
Wow, talk about one sided and fact deprived
They arent turks. Its our land get it. Stop the Muslim propaganda. Or cross troll will happens again hehe
sad misleading journalism...
Western Thrace was part of Bulgaria in the period 1913-1919 (providing an outlet to the Aegean Sea to Bulgaria) but the Bulgarian population was pushed out after the end of the First World War.
And?...
Who are the reporters?
Mehmet, Emre, Tayyip and Osman.
Would love a report on the 2,500 "Ethnic Greeks" living in Turkey.
West Thrace belongs to Turkey from Albania. Long LIVE TURKEY AND THE TURKISH FOLK 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷
@Johnny Black nope
@Johnny Black nope. KOSOVO IS ALBANIA🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱. Go to Prishtina and the folks there will tell you the same
@Johnny Black SHKJA
Turkalbania doesn't belong to Europe.
Turks, Pomaks and Bulgarians--we are all one people. It's time we take back Southern Thrace. It's ours and greeks have nothing to do with it.
You are very funny Al Jazeera….Make documentary about the genocide of Greek,Armenian and Assyrian population in Turkey ….If the Muslim in Trace feel Turkish , they can easily move to Turkey, it’s so close …But they don’t want it because they know what life in Turkey means
Wow. Had no idea there were Muslim Turks in Greece. How come they did not leave during the Population Exchange?
@Akinci Haha at revenge. Revenges are not good. Let's hope that with times changing people will get better and accept brotherhood. I think without Western grudge against Turkey with the leading role of France as crusader, there will no problems between Eastern people. Those who instigate hate since Medieval Times are in France. Their populations have been endoctrinated. Turkey needs to be good at diplomacy because France is working hard at isolating Turkey using Arab countries.
i get both sides, but i aggree with greece, no school in one country should speak another language. im myself turkish, but disagree with it
Your thinking is backward. I'm from Canada and we have both English and French language school. Moreover, privately there are many schools that cater to other ethnic groups. There should be mutual respect and tolerance. Otherwise, I won't be surprised if Turkey rightfully invade Western Thrace if this sort of discrimination continues.
@@DesiRockMetal you changed my mind. thank you ;)
s clad you know I am Indian and I dislike Pakistani, Bangladeshi,Arab,Turk,Iranian etc and I want China to be superpower.Ok clear or not?
@@DesiRockMetal don't fall for this propaganda , think for yourself you idiot. Take into consideration that greece is a democratic country that has always respected human rights and international law , while on the other hand Qatar and turkey are dictatorships that have done the complete opposite .
They are there with Lausanne treaty! which is signed by Greece and insured their rights of culture and native language schools it is Greece's responsibility by international law and native language is a human right.
So what happened to the christians in today turkey??? I haven't see any! BTW eastern thrace is HELLAS 🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷
Al jazeera,do you know how many greek muslems are living in turkey?
Check it out.
@Cansu majority Muslim in Istanbul were ethinic Greek
@Son Bozkurt hello but i am Muslim from Greece 🇬🇷☪️
Hmmm Well I hope something changes for the better in the future for the Turkish minority in Western Thrace
It won't. Everybody profits from it.
Mr Glenn Ellis you have created this piece for al jazeera. Do you have an email where we could send you questions or objections about it? would you be available for answering them
jerks. wait. We will retake the city where Atatürk was born.
@@_berat.ugur_3089 Yeah right...lol
Half of the Istanbul right now are not ethnically Turks, albanians and other balkan people, armenians, cherkez, arabs, kurds, greeks, slavs ... are everywhere
I think the Greeks should learn how to accept the differences
That really isn't in your interest.
@@grinchspoiler2956 then you haven't learned your history well
@@aslanersoy8970 or perhaps I have learnt it too well.
Lol they just presumed the nationality of pomaks