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Neos Kosmos, Australia
May 8 2013
NSW parliament recognises Greek genocide
NSW parliament "condemns the genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and
Greeks, and all other acts of genocide as the ultimate act of
intolerance"
by MAJA JOVIC
A motion recognising the Greek, Assyrian and Armenian genocide was
passed unanimously by the Parliament of NSW Legislative Council, after
the request of the Assyrian Universal Alliance, the Australian
Hellenic Council and the Armenian National Committee.
While in 1997 the NSW Parliament passed a motion recognising the
genocide of the Armenians, on Wednesday 1 May the House recognised
that between 1914-1923, Greeks and Assyrians were subjected to
qualitatively similar genocides by the then Ottoman Government.
The motion passed reads that the NSW Parliament "condemns the
genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks, and all other acts
of genocide as the ultimate act of intolerance". The motion also
called on the Commonwealth Government to condemn the genocides of the
Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks.
"This recognition will act as a powerful counter to those, especially
in present-day Turkey, who still ignore or deny outright the genocides
of the Ottoman Christian minorities," said Mr Hermiz Shahen, the
Deputy Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance. In his
announcement, Mr Shahen thanked the Australian Hellenic Council and
the Armenian National Committee, whose cooperation on the issue was
crowned with Wednesday's genocide recognition by the NSW Parliament.
According to Assyria Times, the member of the NSW Legislative Council
and President of the Australian Christian Party Fred Nile, was
responsible for moving the motion on 30 April and the rectification of
the historical injustice. Mr Nile also demanded that the State of
Turkey recognises and apologises for the Genocide.
"In remembering these events, we do not seek to apportion blame. This
is a matter of history, and history must neither be erased nor
forgotten."
"People of our great state donated generously to save the lives of
those who had reached sanctuary in Greece, French Syria, British Iraq
and British Palestine. The story of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek
Genocides are a part of the Australian story and deserve their
rightful place in that narrative," Fred Nile said in his adjournment
speech.
"When the Anzacs landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, there were Greek
people living there, tilling the soil and fishing the waters. There
were also Turkish tax collectors, police and soldiers. The non-Turks
are the people who were deported; these are the people who were
massacred during World War I and after," Nile said.
In his speech, Fred Nile referred specifically to Dr Panayiotis
Diamadis and Mr Vicken Babkenian, Directors of the Australian
Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, whose pioneering
research into the Australia's relationship to the Armenian, Greeks and
Assyrian Genocides has returned to the light of day this issue for the
people of New South Wales.
"Recognition of historical events, and above all the recognition of
genocide, is a human right issue and is very much a part of the
Australian story. It's not a foreign problem that has been brought to
this country. For our community, it's recognition of some of the
pioneers of the community who came here directly from Pontos and Asia
Minor, especially in Victoria. It's recognition of their heritage and
it's a very important step politically for our community, in showing
that these issues are not just a hundred years old problems that we
can forget about, but are very much current because of the impact they
have on generations later. These are not historic issues, but issues
of international law and human rights essentially," Panayiotis
Diamadis, director of the Australian Institute for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies told Neos Kosmos.
Dr Diamadis said it took long time to convince political parties and
conduct a research that would prove the genocide was not a matter of
foreign policy, but an Australian story, with Australian own
servicemen witnessing the suffering of Assyrians, Armenians and
Greeks.
"This is why the Australian Institute of Genocide studies specifically
focuses on the Australian relationship - Australian eye witnesses,
Australian aid activists who helped rebuild refugees' lives, making it
part of Australian story. We now want to bring it to Australian
curriculum of the history for schools, as part of the existing
subjects."
For Dr Panayiotis Diamadis, it has been a "great honour" to contribute
to the research and the recognition of the Genocide in the NSW
Parliament.
"It's another step forward. Our ultimate goal is to have a similar
resolution in Federal Parliament. We have been working towards it for
years - we believe the support is growing, but there are still
especially political concerns to get over. We believe that with
education we can educate our parliamentarians to see that this is not
just a foreign policy issue, it's a human rights issue, it's a legal
issue, and very much it's part of the Australian story," Dr Diamandis
said.
New South Wales Parliament became the second Australian state to
recognise the Greek, Assyrian and Armenian Genocide.The parliament of
South Australia became the first legislative body in the world to
recognise the genocide of the Assyrians and Greeks in 2009.
http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/NSW-parliament-recognises-Greek-genocide
May 8 2013
NSW parliament recognises Greek genocide
NSW parliament "condemns the genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and
Greeks, and all other acts of genocide as the ultimate act of
intolerance"
by MAJA JOVIC
A motion recognising the Greek, Assyrian and Armenian genocide was
passed unanimously by the Parliament of NSW Legislative Council, after
the request of the Assyrian Universal Alliance, the Australian
Hellenic Council and the Armenian National Committee.
While in 1997 the NSW Parliament passed a motion recognising the
genocide of the Armenians, on Wednesday 1 May the House recognised
that between 1914-1923, Greeks and Assyrians were subjected to
qualitatively similar genocides by the then Ottoman Government.
The motion passed reads that the NSW Parliament "condemns the
genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks, and all other acts
of genocide as the ultimate act of intolerance". The motion also
called on the Commonwealth Government to condemn the genocides of the
Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks.
"This recognition will act as a powerful counter to those, especially
in present-day Turkey, who still ignore or deny outright the genocides
of the Ottoman Christian minorities," said Mr Hermiz Shahen, the
Deputy Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance. In his
announcement, Mr Shahen thanked the Australian Hellenic Council and
the Armenian National Committee, whose cooperation on the issue was
crowned with Wednesday's genocide recognition by the NSW Parliament.
According to Assyria Times, the member of the NSW Legislative Council
and President of the Australian Christian Party Fred Nile, was
responsible for moving the motion on 30 April and the rectification of
the historical injustice. Mr Nile also demanded that the State of
Turkey recognises and apologises for the Genocide.
"In remembering these events, we do not seek to apportion blame. This
is a matter of history, and history must neither be erased nor
forgotten."
"People of our great state donated generously to save the lives of
those who had reached sanctuary in Greece, French Syria, British Iraq
and British Palestine. The story of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek
Genocides are a part of the Australian story and deserve their
rightful place in that narrative," Fred Nile said in his adjournment
speech.
"When the Anzacs landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, there were Greek
people living there, tilling the soil and fishing the waters. There
were also Turkish tax collectors, police and soldiers. The non-Turks
are the people who were deported; these are the people who were
massacred during World War I and after," Nile said.
In his speech, Fred Nile referred specifically to Dr Panayiotis
Diamadis and Mr Vicken Babkenian, Directors of the Australian
Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, whose pioneering
research into the Australia's relationship to the Armenian, Greeks and
Assyrian Genocides has returned to the light of day this issue for the
people of New South Wales.
"Recognition of historical events, and above all the recognition of
genocide, is a human right issue and is very much a part of the
Australian story. It's not a foreign problem that has been brought to
this country. For our community, it's recognition of some of the
pioneers of the community who came here directly from Pontos and Asia
Minor, especially in Victoria. It's recognition of their heritage and
it's a very important step politically for our community, in showing
that these issues are not just a hundred years old problems that we
can forget about, but are very much current because of the impact they
have on generations later. These are not historic issues, but issues
of international law and human rights essentially," Panayiotis
Diamadis, director of the Australian Institute for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies told Neos Kosmos.
Dr Diamadis said it took long time to convince political parties and
conduct a research that would prove the genocide was not a matter of
foreign policy, but an Australian story, with Australian own
servicemen witnessing the suffering of Assyrians, Armenians and
Greeks.
"This is why the Australian Institute of Genocide studies specifically
focuses on the Australian relationship - Australian eye witnesses,
Australian aid activists who helped rebuild refugees' lives, making it
part of Australian story. We now want to bring it to Australian
curriculum of the history for schools, as part of the existing
subjects."
For Dr Panayiotis Diamadis, it has been a "great honour" to contribute
to the research and the recognition of the Genocide in the NSW
Parliament.
"It's another step forward. Our ultimate goal is to have a similar
resolution in Federal Parliament. We have been working towards it for
years - we believe the support is growing, but there are still
especially political concerns to get over. We believe that with
education we can educate our parliamentarians to see that this is not
just a foreign policy issue, it's a human rights issue, it's a legal
issue, and very much it's part of the Australian story," Dr Diamandis
said.
New South Wales Parliament became the second Australian state to
recognise the Greek, Assyrian and Armenian Genocide.The parliament of
South Australia became the first legislative body in the world to
recognise the genocide of the Assyrians and Greeks in 2009.
http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/NSW-parliament-recognises-Greek-genocide