“We are Greeks, not Slavs”: Reaction after Slavic songs halted at Banda Entopica concert

The incident surrounding the “interruption” of a concert by Banda Entopica has sparked strong reactions within the local community of Florina, with media outlets in Skopje portraying it as an act of censorship and a violation of artistic freedom.

According to the Municipality of Florina, this international coverage was one of the reasons officials felt it necessary to intervene promptly, to prevent a cultural event from being exploited through irredeemable interpretations. Municipal sources stress, however, that the concert was not stopped outright but continued after the Slavic-language songs were removed from the program.

Speaking to Protothema.gr, a municipal official fully defended Mayor Vasilios Giannakis’ decision, clarifying from the outset that the event was not organized or sponsored by the Municipality.

“This was not a municipal event. The band had an agreement with the cultural association Fotias,” the official said, noting that such matters are particularly sensitive in Florina due to the region’s history and ongoing geopolitical tensions.

He went on to argue that tensions arose when songs containing clear irredentist references were introduced into the repertoire. “Things are more complicated here than in other regions. When irredentist songs referring to the ‘Aegean Macedonia’ are sung, people react,” he said, emphasizing that the local community responded immediately. According to him, the mayor initially requested a change in repertoire, not the termination of the concert.

“No one would allow this, and certainly not the mayor, who simply asked for a change in the program. The musicians reacted confrontationally, asking, ‘Does this bother you?’ and continued singing,” he said.

The official added that while the band had been performing songs from various regions of Greece, the situation escalated when they announced they would perform “songs from the region.” “At that point, they began singing in Slavic. That’s where the line was drawn. We are Greeks; we are not Slavs,” she said. She stressed that the mayor’s intervention was directed solely against irredentism and not against artistic expression.

“The mayor defended his region. He would not allow anyone to tarnish its name. After the second song, the Slavic-language performances stopped, but the concert itself continued. The band played for another hour,” she concluded, adding that “media in Skopje immediately seized on the incident and turned it into a headline issue.”

The band’s response

Banda Entopica, for its part, presents a markedly different version of events. In a statement, the band insists that it did not perform songs with irredentist or political content, but rather traditional pieces that form part of the broader Balkan musical heritage.

The musicians emphasize that their repertoire includes songs in many languages—Greek, Slavic, Bulgarian, Turkish, Serbian and Romani—stressing that their choices are artistic rather than ideological. “Our music does not carry messages of hatred, division or nationalism,” they state, adding that their goal 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 one of the musicians, causing a disturbance. They claim that while a small group reacted negatively, the vast majority of the audience had come simply to enjoy the music.