Macedonia: Probe begun of anti-Greek hate speech

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Prosecutors in Macedonia are investigating social media posts and comments that used racist and xenophobic language in discussing the wildfires in Greece that have killed dozens of people.

The Public Prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday that it is gathering evidence, working to identify possible suspects and evaluating if the articles and comments violate Macedonian law.

Since the fires swept through communities near Athens on Monday, social networks in Macedonia have been flooded with messages of support and appeals to provide help, but also with hateful comments and insults.

Macedonia and neighboring Greece have been at odds for almost three decades over the smaller countries use of the name Macedonia, which is also the name of a Greek province where Alexander the Great was born.

Nationalists in both countries oppose a recent deal that would change Macedonia’s name to North Macedonia.