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CBC: ARMENIAN CANADIANS RALLY TO REMEMBER KILLINGS
April 25, 2014
Hundreds of Armenian Canadians rallied in Ottawa Saturday for Turkey
to recognize the killing of 1.5 million Armenians nearly a century
ago as a genocide.
The mass killings by Ottoman Turks began in 1915 and continued for
a decade.
"We are not able to forget that, so we're going to repeat that each
year," said Robert Kouyoumdjian, executive director of the Armenian
National Committee of Canada, about the rally. Beginning at noon on
Parliament Hill, the rally led into a march to the Turkish Embassy.
Similar events will be held annually until Turkey stops claiming that
the deaths took place during a civil conflict, Kouyoumdjian said.
"We didn't fight any war against Turkey. We were part of Turkey,"
said Kouyoumdjian, whose grandfather fought in the Turkish army. He
added that Turkey had created its own version of history -- "To make
[us] forget the truth and anything else."
Turkey has long said the estimated death toll of 1.5 million people
around the time of the First World War is an inflated figure. It also
maintains that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest,
not genocide.
Canada recognized genocide in 2004
Nevertheless, Canada's House of Commons voted in 2004 to recognize
the killings as genocide. The U.S. foreign affairs committee
endorsed a similar resolution this past March, even though the Obama
administration had urged Congress not to offend Turkey by approving it.
Ottawa police had expected about 1,000 people to turn out for
Saturday's rally. Speakers included Ottawa-Orleans MP Royal Galipeau
and Scarborough-Agincourt MP Jim Karygiannis, who brought forward
the 2004 private member's bill leading to Canada's recognition of
the genocide.
The crowd sang and chanted while waving the red, blue and orange
Armenian flag.
Demonstrators placed flowers around the Eternal Flame before marching
to the Turkish Embassy.
Some of the demonstrators said Armenians today are still strongly
affected by the deaths and by Turkey's refusal to recognize them as
a genocide.
"We need to fight," said Cécile Kozadjian, who described herself as
a member of the fourth Armenian generation after the war. "We need
to say that it really did happen and they shouldn't be in denial
'cause it's the truth."
"We need to remember," agreed Raffi Sarkissian. "That's the only way
we can end the cycle of genocide and prevent future cases of genocide
anywhere else."
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.horizonweekly.ca/news/details/37108
April 25, 2014
Hundreds of Armenian Canadians rallied in Ottawa Saturday for Turkey
to recognize the killing of 1.5 million Armenians nearly a century
ago as a genocide.
The mass killings by Ottoman Turks began in 1915 and continued for
a decade.
"We are not able to forget that, so we're going to repeat that each
year," said Robert Kouyoumdjian, executive director of the Armenian
National Committee of Canada, about the rally. Beginning at noon on
Parliament Hill, the rally led into a march to the Turkish Embassy.
Similar events will be held annually until Turkey stops claiming that
the deaths took place during a civil conflict, Kouyoumdjian said.
"We didn't fight any war against Turkey. We were part of Turkey,"
said Kouyoumdjian, whose grandfather fought in the Turkish army. He
added that Turkey had created its own version of history -- "To make
[us] forget the truth and anything else."
Turkey has long said the estimated death toll of 1.5 million people
around the time of the First World War is an inflated figure. It also
maintains that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest,
not genocide.
Canada recognized genocide in 2004
Nevertheless, Canada's House of Commons voted in 2004 to recognize
the killings as genocide. The U.S. foreign affairs committee
endorsed a similar resolution this past March, even though the Obama
administration had urged Congress not to offend Turkey by approving it.
Ottawa police had expected about 1,000 people to turn out for
Saturday's rally. Speakers included Ottawa-Orleans MP Royal Galipeau
and Scarborough-Agincourt MP Jim Karygiannis, who brought forward
the 2004 private member's bill leading to Canada's recognition of
the genocide.
The crowd sang and chanted while waving the red, blue and orange
Armenian flag.
Demonstrators placed flowers around the Eternal Flame before marching
to the Turkish Embassy.
Some of the demonstrators said Armenians today are still strongly
affected by the deaths and by Turkey's refusal to recognize them as
a genocide.
"We need to fight," said Cécile Kozadjian, who described herself as
a member of the fourth Armenian generation after the war. "We need
to say that it really did happen and they shouldn't be in denial
'cause it's the truth."
"We need to remember," agreed Raffi Sarkissian. "That's the only way
we can end the cycle of genocide and prevent future cases of genocide
anywhere else."
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.horizonweekly.ca/news/details/37108