Utrinski Vesnik
 

Netherlands Abandons the Term "Slavo-Macedonians"
 
Under civic pressure and following a court process initiated by Macedonian immigrants.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed the Macedonain community in the Netherlands that it abandons the term "Slavo-Macedonians," and that it will use the name ethnic Macedonians on their web page. This decision, which has been accepted and implemented by almost all influential daily newspapers in the Netherlands has followed as a result of the court process started by the Macedonian immigrants, who consider the official use of this term discriminatory.

The main argument of the Macedonian immigrants in Holland was that over the seven consequtive censuses in Macedonia, not a single person has declared himself/herself as a "Slavo-Macedonian." Therefore, the Macedonians consider the official use of this term in the Netherlands a forced renaming.


Source: Utrinski Vesnik, #1298, Friday, 17 October 2003, page 4.