An incident involving the “interruption” of a concert by the band Banda Entopica has sparked strong reactions within the local community of Florina, with media outlets in Skopje portraying the episode as a case of censorship and a violation of artistic freedom.
According to the municipal authority, this was precisely one of the reasons an immediate intervention was deemed necessary, in order — as emphasised — to avoid providing grounds for irredentist interpretations that would “instrumentalise” a cultural event. However, municipal officials stress that the concert was not stopped, but continued without the Slavic-language songs.
Municipality’s position
A senior figure from the Florina municipal administration fully defended Mayor Vasilios Giannakis’ decision to intervene, clarifying from the outset that the event was not held under the auspices of the municipality.
“This was not a municipal event. The band had made arrangements with the cultural association of Fotiá,” the official said, noting that in Florina such issues are extremely sensitive due to the region’s history and geopolitical context.
She went on to argue that tensions arose when songs with clear irredentist references were included in the program.
“Here things are more difficult compared to other regions. When irredentist songs about the ‘Aegean Macedonia’ are sung, it upsets people,” she said, stressing that the reaction of the local community was immediate. According to her, the mayor initially requested a change of repertoire rather than a halt to the concert.
“No one would tolerate such things — especially not the mayor, who asked them to change the repertoire. The musicians were provocative, with comments like ‘Does this bother you?’ and they continued singing,” she said.
She added that while the band had been performing songs from various regions of Greece, the situation changed when they announced they would sing “songs of the region”.
“At some point they said they would sing songs from our region and began singing in Slavic. That’s where it stops. We are Greeks, not Slavs,” she said, clarifying that the mayor’s intervention targeted irredentism alone and not artistic freedom.
“The mayor defended his region. He would not allow anyone to tarnish the name of the area. They stopped singing Slavic songs during the second piece — the concert itself did not stop. They played for another hour,” she concluded, noting that “media in Skopje have already picked this up and turned it into a banner issue”.
The band’s response
Banda Entopica, however, presents a completely different version of events. In a statement, the group insists it did not perform songs with irredentist or political content, but traditional pieces that form part of the broader Balkan musical heritage.
The musicians stress that their repertoire includes songs in many languages — Greek, Slavic, Bulgarian, Turkish, Serbian and Romani — underlining that these choices are artistic rather than ideological.
As they state, “our music contains no messages of hatred, division or nationalism”, and their aim is “to unite people, not divide them”.
In the same statement, the band reports verbal attacks and threats during the concert, and describes an incident in which a member of the audience climbed onto the stage and pushed a band member, causing disturbance.
They claim that out of hundreds of attendees, only a small group reacted negatively, while the majority had gathered to enjoy the music.
Musicians’ Association of Northern Greece backs Banda Entopica
The Board of the Musicians’ Association of Northern Greece also issued a statement condemning Mayor Giannakis’ intervention to halt the Slavic-language songs during the Banda Entopica concert.
Among other things, the statement says:
“It is unacceptable in this day and age for people to insult musicians with vulgar language, interrupt concerts and physically harass musicians with the bravado of ‘I pay, therefore I decide’.
This mentality does not exist even in the worst nightclubs and is reminiscent of the para-state practices of the 1960s.
The ridiculous justification that they were singing irredentist Slavic songs demonstrates the complete lack of historical knowledge and cultural awareness of the mayor in question and his entourage.
Music only unites!
Borders drawn by interstate treaties after wars may define state boundaries, but they will never define the boundaries of music and culture, nor of people’s customs and traditions.
The same music is played in Thrace on both sides of the Evros River; clarinets are heard and tsamiko dances are danced in both Epirus and Albania.
The same applies along the borders with North Macedonia and Bulgaria — and indeed throughout the world.
The right to self-determination, especially through Art, is an inalienable and non-negotiable human right.”
The association states that it stands firmly alongside Banda Entopica and is available to provide any institutional or legal support required.
It also calls on the Municipal Council of Florina to take a position and to issue an immediate public apology to the band’s musicians.
President: Dimitris Zervoudakis
General Secretary: Mary Doutsis
Board members:
Dimitris Sfiggos
Maria Fragkouli
Vasilis Floros
Giannis Mitsis
Vangelis Petriniotis
Maria Tsiogka
Vasilis Pratsinas
Musicians’ Association of Northern Greece
