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Genocide is genocide
NRC Handelsblad (Dutch national newspaper)
28 september 2006
The CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal) and the PvdA (Dutch Labor Party) were
not aware of what it meant to put Dutch Turkish candidates on their
draftlist who deny the genocide committed against roughly one million
Armenians. The Armenian Genocide of 1915 and the late nineteenth century
seems like an old, forgotten issue, but it is not. The massacre is part of
the traumatic past of the Armenians around the world, inclucing those in the
Netherlands. In Turkey, people have no understanding for this. In Turkey,
people are still persecuted for writing texts or commenting on the Armenian
genocide, among them writers Orhan Pamuk and recently Elif Shafak.
Fortunately, Pamuk and Shafak were not convicted.
If Dutch politicians affiliated with the larger parties would begin to doubt
the genocide, they would in essence support the reactionary powers at play
in Turkey. Dutch Turkish politicians should choose who they want to be loyal
to: to Turkey or to their Dutch parties. They cannot deny the Armenian
Genocide in a Turkish newspaper after they have joined their Dutch parties'
recognition. Moreover, the European Parliament wrongfully scrapped the
Armenian genocide from the list of preconditions for Turkey's accession to
the EU.
Research is no longer needed for the massacre of the Turkish government
against the dissenting Armenians in 1915 and late nineteenth century, which
was the result, among others, of Armenians' loyalty to Turkey's enemies
during World War I. An abundance of documents, as well as research and
family stories by Armenians themselves, clearly show that the massacre
indeed took place and that in those days more than a million people
perished. Barely anyone returned and the houses remained empty. There are
photographs of mass executions of Armenians. People can twist around the
exact numbers of murdered and how it happened, but it is still genocide.
According to the law, everyone has the right to his or her personal opinion,
even if it goes against the facts. In the free debate in liberal society,
the truth will catch up with the lie. The ChristenUnie's (Christian Union)
bill, which calls for the penalization of genocide denial, therefore, has a
reverse effect. If the Netherlands adopts this law, it will fall in the same
trap as Turkey, which penalizes anyone who offends Turkish identity.
Publicly, we should be able to unmask mistakes, and this even applies to the
murder of six million Jews. By penalizing denial, as is now the case,
deniers are given credibility, when there is enough evidence to prove them
wrong.
Political parties are free to put candidates on their list who deny the
Armenian Genocide. However, it is morally objectional, because by brushing
aside the hard facts, deniers offend a minority. While it might be true that
parties would arguably receive a significant amount of votes from Dutch
Turks, it should not be a reason to put them on the list. The PvdA and the
CDA have therefore done well to withdraw the candidates who deny the
Armenian Genocide.
NRC Handelsblad (Dutch national newspaper)
28 september 2006
The CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal) and the PvdA (Dutch Labor Party) were
not aware of what it meant to put Dutch Turkish candidates on their
draftlist who deny the genocide committed against roughly one million
Armenians. The Armenian Genocide of 1915 and the late nineteenth century
seems like an old, forgotten issue, but it is not. The massacre is part of
the traumatic past of the Armenians around the world, inclucing those in the
Netherlands. In Turkey, people have no understanding for this. In Turkey,
people are still persecuted for writing texts or commenting on the Armenian
genocide, among them writers Orhan Pamuk and recently Elif Shafak.
Fortunately, Pamuk and Shafak were not convicted.
If Dutch politicians affiliated with the larger parties would begin to doubt
the genocide, they would in essence support the reactionary powers at play
in Turkey. Dutch Turkish politicians should choose who they want to be loyal
to: to Turkey or to their Dutch parties. They cannot deny the Armenian
Genocide in a Turkish newspaper after they have joined their Dutch parties'
recognition. Moreover, the European Parliament wrongfully scrapped the
Armenian genocide from the list of preconditions for Turkey's accession to
the EU.
Research is no longer needed for the massacre of the Turkish government
against the dissenting Armenians in 1915 and late nineteenth century, which
was the result, among others, of Armenians' loyalty to Turkey's enemies
during World War I. An abundance of documents, as well as research and
family stories by Armenians themselves, clearly show that the massacre
indeed took place and that in those days more than a million people
perished. Barely anyone returned and the houses remained empty. There are
photographs of mass executions of Armenians. People can twist around the
exact numbers of murdered and how it happened, but it is still genocide.
According to the law, everyone has the right to his or her personal opinion,
even if it goes against the facts. In the free debate in liberal society,
the truth will catch up with the lie. The ChristenUnie's (Christian Union)
bill, which calls for the penalization of genocide denial, therefore, has a
reverse effect. If the Netherlands adopts this law, it will fall in the same
trap as Turkey, which penalizes anyone who offends Turkish identity.
Publicly, we should be able to unmask mistakes, and this even applies to the
murder of six million Jews. By penalizing denial, as is now the case,
deniers are given credibility, when there is enough evidence to prove them
wrong.
Political parties are free to put candidates on their list who deny the
Armenian Genocide. However, it is morally objectional, because by brushing
aside the hard facts, deniers offend a minority. While it might be true that
parties would arguably receive a significant amount of votes from Dutch
Turks, it should not be a reason to put them on the list. The PvdA and the
CDA have therefore done well to withdraw the candidates who deny the
Armenian Genocide.