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Derby hosts Armenian Genocide recognition event, Turkish embassy tries
to interfere
To give the whole occasion the due respect it deserved, I invited a
representation from the Armenian Embassy in London to join the day.
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place on January 27 each year to
remember the Nazi atrocities during the Second World War, and
subsequent Genocides throughout the world. It is an important day
marked in many of the major cities in the UK, and governed by a
central committee in London.
January 30, 2015
PanARMENIAN.Net - In January 2014, I challenged the Chair of the
committee in my home city of Derby, as to why none of the planned
events dealt with the Armenian Genocide. His response was twofold;
firstly, the UK committee does not endorse the reference to any
genocides prior to 1939, and secondly, Derby does not have an Armenian
community to justify any change to that policy. Despite this, he made
the offer to me to join the committee, for the 2015 events, and work
with the team to make sure that we did recognize the Armenian
Genocide.
As 2015 is the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the
HMD UK committee commissioned a special candle from Sir Anish Kapoor (
Indian sculptor living in London). Just 70 candles were made and they
were only given to those cities who could demonstrate that their
events would be of sufficient high standard to qualify for this
important artefact. Derby was successful in being awarded one of the
candles.
Although officially, the HMD UK event was remembering the Holocaust
and the 20th Anniversary of the Srebrenica massacres in Bosnia, the
Derby committee jointly agreed to change the scope of our events to
include the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This was
reflected in all of the publicity surrounding the occasion.
HMD in Derby focuses its events in 3 locations, and it was decided,
that we would take the opportunity to light the candle on 3 occasions
for the 3 Genocides. It was decided that the lighting of the candle in
the Derby Cathedral, the seat of the Church of England in the City,
would be to remember the Armenian Genocide. The most fitting of places
for this.
The candle was first lit in the Bosnia-Hercegovina Centre by 2
survivors of the massacre of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica. Their
moving stories were read out to a shocked and silenced audience.
As the second lighting of the candle, and the carrying of it to the
front of the Cathedral, was a solemn and important moment in the
proceedings, I wanted that to be performed by an Armenian. Mr Ara
Nahadedian, from Crewe, attended to perform that, resplendent in
traditional Armenian costume.
The final lighting of the candle, on behalf of those Jews who perished
in the Holocaust, was in the QUAD Arts Centre, the venue for the main
event of the day, with an audience of over 300 people.
After that ceremony I was given the opportunity to make a 10 minute
presentation on the Armenian Genocide.
To give the whole occasion the due respect it deserved, I invited a
representation from the Armenian Embassy in London to join the day. I
am pleased to have welcomed Mr Hayk Khemchyan to Derby in that
capacity. We were also joined by others from the Armenian community
who were able to travel from Manchester, Crewe and London.
Throughout all of the planning, the committee had never wavered from
the fact that we were going to refer to the Armenian Genocide. We
never discussed using any other euphemisms. In Derby, the planning
committee is an independent group of people, not formally linked to
any political structure. In the few days prior to the HMD itself, the
Mayor of Derby received an email from the Turkish Embassy complaining
about the fact that we were making overt references to the killings in
1915 as "Genocide", and that we should change our position and use
less provocative language.
For the few brief references made by the Mayor, and one other
official, the script was changed, on the instruction of the local
Council. The script for the main event, including my presentation
remained totally unchanged. We were resolute that we were not going to
be dictated to.
Ironically, the fact that the Turkish Government had tried to
influence our events proved to be helpful in highlighting to the
audience, the gravity of the political situation, even 100 years on.
The purpose of my presentation was to make the link from 1915, to the
plight of the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, today, and how the policy
of denial was the last act of Genocide.
I highlighted the fact that the iconic Mt Ararat being in Turkey is
"a daily reminder of the injustice of their situation....and the
weakness and possible corruption of politics in the post- WW1 period
which resulted in a treaty and division of lands that rewarded those
who committed the crime of Genocide."
The theme of the HMD events this year was "Keep the Memory Alive" and
I used this to emphasise that
".. for the Armenians it is worse than forgetting.....it is the denial
that it is taking place. Today is not just about a historical
remembrance of something that happened 100 years ago... Today is about
recognising and understanding that the Genocide of the Armenians is
unfinished business for Turkey and Azerbaijan...."
Bearing in mind the antics of the Turkish Embassy with respect to our
events, and the extent to which Governments avoid holding Turkey to
account, and comply with perceived pressure, I went on to say:
"The Nazi Holocaust happened because too many people stood by and did
nothing - this is happening today for the Armenians. We must not allow
ignorance and political expediency to facilitate the Genocidal
intentions of Turkey and Azerbaijan."
The local committee were shocked about the conduct of the Turkish
Embassy and it has simply reinforced our resolve to ensure that we
will remember and recognize the Armenian Genocide, and its impact on
Nagorno Karabakh every year. For many, this experience has highlighted
the reality of the plight of the Armenians in a way which I could
never have planned and, perversely I am grateful to the Turkish
Embassy, for their actions, on this occasion.
Russell Pollard is an English journalist and photographer, who has
visited Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh 10 times over the past 4 years.
He is the founder of the website www.Artsakh.Org.UK and writes
regularly on issues relating to Artsakh. He is active in promoting
recognition of the current situation from an Armenian perspective and
also in influencing an understanding of the truth about the events in
and around Khojalu in 1992.
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/details/187711/
From: A. Papazian
to interfere
To give the whole occasion the due respect it deserved, I invited a
representation from the Armenian Embassy in London to join the day.
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place on January 27 each year to
remember the Nazi atrocities during the Second World War, and
subsequent Genocides throughout the world. It is an important day
marked in many of the major cities in the UK, and governed by a
central committee in London.
January 30, 2015
PanARMENIAN.Net - In January 2014, I challenged the Chair of the
committee in my home city of Derby, as to why none of the planned
events dealt with the Armenian Genocide. His response was twofold;
firstly, the UK committee does not endorse the reference to any
genocides prior to 1939, and secondly, Derby does not have an Armenian
community to justify any change to that policy. Despite this, he made
the offer to me to join the committee, for the 2015 events, and work
with the team to make sure that we did recognize the Armenian
Genocide.
As 2015 is the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the
HMD UK committee commissioned a special candle from Sir Anish Kapoor (
Indian sculptor living in London). Just 70 candles were made and they
were only given to those cities who could demonstrate that their
events would be of sufficient high standard to qualify for this
important artefact. Derby was successful in being awarded one of the
candles.
Although officially, the HMD UK event was remembering the Holocaust
and the 20th Anniversary of the Srebrenica massacres in Bosnia, the
Derby committee jointly agreed to change the scope of our events to
include the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This was
reflected in all of the publicity surrounding the occasion.
HMD in Derby focuses its events in 3 locations, and it was decided,
that we would take the opportunity to light the candle on 3 occasions
for the 3 Genocides. It was decided that the lighting of the candle in
the Derby Cathedral, the seat of the Church of England in the City,
would be to remember the Armenian Genocide. The most fitting of places
for this.
The candle was first lit in the Bosnia-Hercegovina Centre by 2
survivors of the massacre of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica. Their
moving stories were read out to a shocked and silenced audience.
As the second lighting of the candle, and the carrying of it to the
front of the Cathedral, was a solemn and important moment in the
proceedings, I wanted that to be performed by an Armenian. Mr Ara
Nahadedian, from Crewe, attended to perform that, resplendent in
traditional Armenian costume.
The final lighting of the candle, on behalf of those Jews who perished
in the Holocaust, was in the QUAD Arts Centre, the venue for the main
event of the day, with an audience of over 300 people.
After that ceremony I was given the opportunity to make a 10 minute
presentation on the Armenian Genocide.
To give the whole occasion the due respect it deserved, I invited a
representation from the Armenian Embassy in London to join the day. I
am pleased to have welcomed Mr Hayk Khemchyan to Derby in that
capacity. We were also joined by others from the Armenian community
who were able to travel from Manchester, Crewe and London.
Throughout all of the planning, the committee had never wavered from
the fact that we were going to refer to the Armenian Genocide. We
never discussed using any other euphemisms. In Derby, the planning
committee is an independent group of people, not formally linked to
any political structure. In the few days prior to the HMD itself, the
Mayor of Derby received an email from the Turkish Embassy complaining
about the fact that we were making overt references to the killings in
1915 as "Genocide", and that we should change our position and use
less provocative language.
For the few brief references made by the Mayor, and one other
official, the script was changed, on the instruction of the local
Council. The script for the main event, including my presentation
remained totally unchanged. We were resolute that we were not going to
be dictated to.
Ironically, the fact that the Turkish Government had tried to
influence our events proved to be helpful in highlighting to the
audience, the gravity of the political situation, even 100 years on.
The purpose of my presentation was to make the link from 1915, to the
plight of the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, today, and how the policy
of denial was the last act of Genocide.
I highlighted the fact that the iconic Mt Ararat being in Turkey is
"a daily reminder of the injustice of their situation....and the
weakness and possible corruption of politics in the post- WW1 period
which resulted in a treaty and division of lands that rewarded those
who committed the crime of Genocide."
The theme of the HMD events this year was "Keep the Memory Alive" and
I used this to emphasise that
".. for the Armenians it is worse than forgetting.....it is the denial
that it is taking place. Today is not just about a historical
remembrance of something that happened 100 years ago... Today is about
recognising and understanding that the Genocide of the Armenians is
unfinished business for Turkey and Azerbaijan...."
Bearing in mind the antics of the Turkish Embassy with respect to our
events, and the extent to which Governments avoid holding Turkey to
account, and comply with perceived pressure, I went on to say:
"The Nazi Holocaust happened because too many people stood by and did
nothing - this is happening today for the Armenians. We must not allow
ignorance and political expediency to facilitate the Genocidal
intentions of Turkey and Azerbaijan."
The local committee were shocked about the conduct of the Turkish
Embassy and it has simply reinforced our resolve to ensure that we
will remember and recognize the Armenian Genocide, and its impact on
Nagorno Karabakh every year. For many, this experience has highlighted
the reality of the plight of the Armenians in a way which I could
never have planned and, perversely I am grateful to the Turkish
Embassy, for their actions, on this occasion.
Russell Pollard is an English journalist and photographer, who has
visited Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh 10 times over the past 4 years.
He is the founder of the website www.Artsakh.Org.UK and writes
regularly on issues relating to Artsakh. He is active in promoting
recognition of the current situation from an Armenian perspective and
also in influencing an understanding of the truth about the events in
and around Khojalu in 1992.
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/details/187711/
From: A. Papazian