Macedonian fear & mistrust

[Risto the Great]

Excerpt from "Macedonia: Its Races and Their Future - H. Brailsford"

A native of Northern Macedonia who had killed a Turk fled to the Southern Castoria district with the avengers of blood at his heels, and posing as a martyr persuaded the villagers to harbour him. Believing him to be an outlaw, they readily admitted him to their confidence and their secrets. He was a Christian by birth, but had secretly become a convert to Islam and had accepted service as a Turkish spy. In three months he had learned all he required to know, and was able to present the authorities with a list of six hundred of the Committee's partisans. Tortures and imprisonments followed on a vast scale, and those who escaped gaol, did so only by "taking to the hills"

Macedonians have feared "shpioni" for centuries. The above example is good reason for the mistrust that still haunts us to this day.

I find Brailsford's observations quite fascinating. He always describes ethnic Macedonians as Bulgarians. Even though he defines them very early in the book as not being Bulgarians. He was clearly confused about this issue but ultimately ended up using religious affiliation more so than ethnic identities.