Stamatis Sakellion on Western Thrace: “The identity issue must now be closed”
Journalist and New Left Party member Stamatis Sakellion has written a striking article addressing the identity issues of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace. Sakellion examines Greece’s minority policies from a historical perspective, emphasizing that denying a Turkish identity is no longer compatible with a democratic state.
In his article for I Epohi on October 12, Sakellion argued that recognizing the minority’s “collective self-identification right” is essential both for democracy and human dignity, posing the question: “If not now, when? If not us, who?”
The translated text of Sakellion’s article reads as follows:
Collective Identity Recognition for the Minority in Thrace
It is clear that this issue is not considered “major” by some. It lacks the grandeur of other weighty topics. Yet for the minority, it is indeed “heavy,” as it carries a historical burden. Under normal circumstances, a liberal bourgeois democracy would have no problem with this. However, Greece remains far from such democratic norms, primarily because it has never had a serious bourgeois class. Consequently, this burden arises from a “fear of the enemy,” an irrational state that hinders calm reasoning.
The so-called “national threat” still prevents 100,000 people from deciding their own identity. Perhaps they would not all choose the same path. But currently, they have no right to do so. Imagine 100,000 people gathering in Syntagma Square declaring, “We are Latins from the village of Büyük Doğanca in Rhodope.” Nobody would be concerned; this right would even be welcomed. Yet if 100,000 people gathered in Komotini’s Peace Square and many of them said, “We are Turks and wish to be collectively recognized as such,” one can easily imagine the alarm bells of national anxiety ringing.
The denial of identity is often justified by the Treaty of Lausanne’s reference to “Muslims.” However, population classifications at that time were based on religion. Whenever I raise this issue, I recall an old state official who spoke of the “Muslim language” in the border region where he served. I tried in vain to identify such a language – grammatically, syntactically. Similarly, imagining a Muslim-inhabited area, one could conclude that Muslims constitute an ethnic group. By this logic, all places would have a singular religious or ethnic label – yet this is clearly not the case. Individually, people may identify as they wish. That is accepted. If 20,000 people declare individually, “I am Turkish,” the Greek state recognizes it rightly. But if one person proclaims through a megaphone, “We are all Turks here and form a minority,” this is prohibited.
As you know, the “transition to democracy” (metapolitefsi) in Thrace is incomplete. Institutional issues regarding the minority remain unresolved. Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Intelligence Service shaped the state’s national ideology concerning the minority, forming what is referred to as the “deep state.” After the traumatic events of 1990, when hundreds of minority-owned shops were destroyed in Komotini, the Greek state took positive steps, but democratic transformation remained unfinished. The Left, even in the toughest years, has supported the minority’s collective self-identification rights. Democracy is not just about rules; it is about spirit: memories exist, the dead exist, unfinished lives exist, and fear does not prevail. On the contrary, democracy grows stronger as it broadens.
Thus, recognizing the minority’s collective self-identification right is the only path to honor — in the name of unfinished lives, thousands of stateless people in Thrace, those crushed by Turkish and Greek nationalism, nameless associations in Xanthi and Komotini, and those who struggle humbly and honestly for their rights, yet face ridicule. The Left is fearless and carries the experience of challenging authoritarian power. Defending this right defends democracy, completes the transformation in Thrace, and closes old historical accounts.
If not now, when? If not us, who? Our party congress lies ahead — let this be a resolution of our program. Recall that Greece has signed the OSCE framework on national minority protection but has not ratified it in parliament.
It is time to close this chapter. The most beautiful seas belong to real ships and travelers. History sometimes shows us that symbolic political gestures are more important than economic measures. Minority individuals, no matter how successful in their work, still carry an open wound — a wound of democracy as well. Recognition of the minority’s collective self-identification right has been long overdue. Enough is enough; it can no longer be delayed. It is neither good for the people nor for all of us.
