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PROTESTERS MARK ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, DEMAND COMPENSATION
The Daily Star, Lebanon
April 24 2013
April 25, 2013 01:41 AM By Stephen Dockery
The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Thousands marched through Beirut Wednesday to call on Turkey
to recognize the genocide that involved the systematic slaughter of
1.5 million Armenians nearly a century ago.
Draped in the colors of the Armenian flag - red, blue and orange -
over 10,000 people marched across east Beirut to Martyrs' Square
in Downtown. Families sang the Armenian national anthem and carried
banners condemning the Turkish government, occasionally pausing to
stomp on Turkish flags spread along the route.
"Turkey should recognize the genocide and take action for restitution,"
goldsmith Paul Halebian said at the rally. "It's our right, our land,
our dignity."
Armenian groups claim they are owed large swaths of land in Turkey
after their ancestors were forcibly displaced during the partition
of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and 1916 at the end of World War I.
Many Armenian families took refuge in what is now Lebanon as a
result of Ottoman attacks on their community. There are currently
some 100,000 Lebanese of Armenian origins who are represented in
Parliament by five MPs.
"Erdogan Don't Forget: Eastern Turkey is Western Armenia," read one
banner directed at Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The day was both solemn and festive as both young and old rallied to
commemorate their ancestors who died while reaffirming their identity
and nationhood.
Armenian political parties Henchag Tashnag and Ramgavar are divided
between Lebanon's two major coalitions - March 14 and March 8 - but
they come together for the yearly genocide commemoration. Party scout
troops marched and played music together while banners paid for by
the parties were draped along the walking route.
"All the associations are here; there is no dispute over the Armenian
Genocide," said Sossy Manoukian, a teacher and school coordinator.
"There isn't a person here who is not directly connected to the
genocide."
A number of non-Armenian Lebanese also joined parts of the rally.
After several hours of marching, people rallied in Downtown Beirut,
where political and religious speakers delivered speeches about
the importance of recognizing the genocide and what is owed to the
Armenians.
Leaders decried what they saw as a "conspiracy" aimed against the
Armenians to displace them from their lands, and called for the
Turkish government to fully compensate them.
"We will not forget our martyrs and our civilization and the cultural
heritage in Armenia and ... our possessions that were looted by
killers," said the Tashnag Party's Secretary-General Hovig Mekhitarian.
At a Mass earlier in the day at the Catholicosate in Antelias,
Catholicos Aram I Keshishian of Cilicia called for Armenian churches,
endowments and heritage in Turkey to be restored as the "first stage
of our national struggle."
Representatives from the families of the nine abducted pilgrims in
Syria also marched with the rally alongside several other political
figures. But despite the occasional promotion of signs of the conflict
in Syria and other political agendas, the rally remained largely
focused on Armenia and its history.
Generations have passed since the genocide, but the event and its
official recognition by foreign governments still colors politics
around the world.
Some 21 countries and most states in the U.S. have officially
recognized the genocide, while many other countries have not, partially
due to their relationship with Turkey. Ankara maintains the death of
some 500,000 people at the time did not constitute genocide.
The rally that began in Armenian areas of greater Beirut attracted
many young people who see the yearly commemoration as an important
part of their identity, marking an event largely ignored by the rest
of the world.
"After two years it will be a century and the world will forget,"
said 15-year-old Bedig Alexanian. "We do this to keep the world from
being silent."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Apr-25/214987-protesters-mark-armenian-genocide-demand-compensation.ashx#axzz2RLH6qzMj
From: A. Papazian
The Daily Star, Lebanon
April 24 2013
April 25, 2013 01:41 AM By Stephen Dockery
The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Thousands marched through Beirut Wednesday to call on Turkey
to recognize the genocide that involved the systematic slaughter of
1.5 million Armenians nearly a century ago.
Draped in the colors of the Armenian flag - red, blue and orange -
over 10,000 people marched across east Beirut to Martyrs' Square
in Downtown. Families sang the Armenian national anthem and carried
banners condemning the Turkish government, occasionally pausing to
stomp on Turkish flags spread along the route.
"Turkey should recognize the genocide and take action for restitution,"
goldsmith Paul Halebian said at the rally. "It's our right, our land,
our dignity."
Armenian groups claim they are owed large swaths of land in Turkey
after their ancestors were forcibly displaced during the partition
of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and 1916 at the end of World War I.
Many Armenian families took refuge in what is now Lebanon as a
result of Ottoman attacks on their community. There are currently
some 100,000 Lebanese of Armenian origins who are represented in
Parliament by five MPs.
"Erdogan Don't Forget: Eastern Turkey is Western Armenia," read one
banner directed at Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The day was both solemn and festive as both young and old rallied to
commemorate their ancestors who died while reaffirming their identity
and nationhood.
Armenian political parties Henchag Tashnag and Ramgavar are divided
between Lebanon's two major coalitions - March 14 and March 8 - but
they come together for the yearly genocide commemoration. Party scout
troops marched and played music together while banners paid for by
the parties were draped along the walking route.
"All the associations are here; there is no dispute over the Armenian
Genocide," said Sossy Manoukian, a teacher and school coordinator.
"There isn't a person here who is not directly connected to the
genocide."
A number of non-Armenian Lebanese also joined parts of the rally.
After several hours of marching, people rallied in Downtown Beirut,
where political and religious speakers delivered speeches about
the importance of recognizing the genocide and what is owed to the
Armenians.
Leaders decried what they saw as a "conspiracy" aimed against the
Armenians to displace them from their lands, and called for the
Turkish government to fully compensate them.
"We will not forget our martyrs and our civilization and the cultural
heritage in Armenia and ... our possessions that were looted by
killers," said the Tashnag Party's Secretary-General Hovig Mekhitarian.
At a Mass earlier in the day at the Catholicosate in Antelias,
Catholicos Aram I Keshishian of Cilicia called for Armenian churches,
endowments and heritage in Turkey to be restored as the "first stage
of our national struggle."
Representatives from the families of the nine abducted pilgrims in
Syria also marched with the rally alongside several other political
figures. But despite the occasional promotion of signs of the conflict
in Syria and other political agendas, the rally remained largely
focused on Armenia and its history.
Generations have passed since the genocide, but the event and its
official recognition by foreign governments still colors politics
around the world.
Some 21 countries and most states in the U.S. have officially
recognized the genocide, while many other countries have not, partially
due to their relationship with Turkey. Ankara maintains the death of
some 500,000 people at the time did not constitute genocide.
The rally that began in Armenian areas of greater Beirut attracted
many young people who see the yearly commemoration as an important
part of their identity, marking an event largely ignored by the rest
of the world.
"After two years it will be a century and the world will forget,"
said 15-year-old Bedig Alexanian. "We do this to keep the world from
being silent."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Apr-25/214987-protesters-mark-armenian-genocide-demand-compensation.ashx#axzz2RLH6qzMj
From: A. Papazian