Grey Wolves in action against Armenian monument

[15levels]

Just released an article in Dutch

Krant tegen racisme (Magazine against racism)

 

My own photographs of the monument and the ceremony in Assen in 24th of April this year can be found at http://photography.15levels.com/html/armen...orts.assen.html

 

De Fabel van de illegaal (The Fable of the illegal)

Krant tegen racisme (Magazine against racism)

n° 46/47 http://www.defabel.nl Summer 2001

 

Grey Wolves in action against Armenian monument

 

by Gerrit de Wit

 

On April 24 a monument was unveiled in Assen commemorating the genocide of 800,000 to 1.5 million Armenians by the Turkish army in 1915 and 1916. The initiative for the monument was launched in the summer of 1999 by Armenian Assener Nicolai Romachuk. Large groups in the Turkish community, among which Leiden established organization Turkish Forum Netherlands, revolted in full force.

 

At the beginning of the twentieth century the Ottoman regime feared that Armenians and Kurds would conquer the eastern provinces of the Turkish empire. Therefore turkification of the whole territory was chosen. Masses of Armenian property was taken into custody and 2 million Armenian christians were deported to concentration camps along the Euphrates in the Syrian

desert. The majority died during these transportations. The genocide on the Armenians was bureaucratically organized and special military troops were dispatched. Many of the survivors fled after the massacres. Of the 4 million Armenians who presently live in the diaspora, approximately 5000 live in the

Netherlands.

 

Turkey has expunged the events of 1915-1916 from history books. The Turkish authorities deny any responsibility for the systematic murder of the Armenians. They prefer to talk about human-friendly transfers or of war casualties. Additionally Turkey constantly brings the amount of victims into discussion. There is however sufficient evidence that the genocide was indeed of this magnitude.

 

Memorial Stone

 

Romachuk belongs to the 200 Armenians living in Assen. End 1999, he planned to erect the memorial stone. Assen municipality however, was not waiting for this. After a number of months they agreed to a small memorial stone in cemetary De Boskamp. The municipality demanded the word "genocide" not to be mentioned on the monument, whereafter Romachuk concealed the formerly planned text even more:"In commemoration of our Armenian ancestors in the

period 1910-1920". Nothing referred to the genocide directly. But after the monument was brought to light within the Turkish community in Holland, a storm of protests broke loose beginning of March 2000. The Turkish embassy in The Hague, The Turkish consulate in Deventer and the Turkish Participation Organ (IOT - Inspraak Orgaan Turken) agitated against the arrival of the monument. The Turkish Cultural Center Assen (TCVA - Turkse

Culturele Vereniging Assen) mobilized its supporters and brought the case to the local authority's judge. However, the objection against Assen municipality's consent was rejected by the court: the term was expired. The protests even made it to the front pages of daily papers in Turkey.

 

Mailbombs

 

Under pressure of the large-scale protests, Assen municipality passed new laws for the erecting of monuments for "ethnic minorities". As a result, the decision for the placing of the Armenian memorial stone around May 1 was opened once more for inspection for a period of 4 weeks, so that people could anyway file complaints against the place, shape and text of the monument. In the meantime Romachuk, after threats, had already moved and out of need taken a secret telephone number. After the inspection term 1,907 complaints were filed: 913 for the monument, 994 against. In November 2000, Assen municipality (College van B&W) was to decide over the complaints.

 

Meanwhile, in August 2000, nationalist Turks at home and abroad sent so-called mailbombs to newspapers, members of Chamber and Assen municipality. Because of that the municipality was obliged to change its e-mail address. The organiser of the mailbomb offensive was Selamet Gundogan of the TCVA. On August 18, according to Turkish media no less than 380,000 protest signatures were offered to the present municipal secretary of Assen. The signatures were collected worldwide. M. Ton, head of the information division however stated that only some 5000 signatures had been presented.

 

Revisionist

 

On November 24, Assen municipality decided not to honor the complaints of the TCVA. The 8 Turkish federations, that according to Gundogan work closely with the national Turkish Committee, immediately chose to start a procedure against the Council of State. This procedure is still ongoing. The Turkish

Forum Netherlands, under chairman of Leidener Gokhan Genc, was also furious and stated that the College van B&W had made a "political statement" and with it had diametrically opposed itself to the Turkish community. Genc had already made himself known as the classic Turkish revisionist who denies the

genocide on Armenians in press releases and letters to Assen municipality. In a press release on October 17 he stated that it was impossible for the Turks to have been involved in the murder of ethnic communities, because next to the Jews "many other ethnic groups have been capable of living on Turkish grounds without problems". Armenians and Kurds have quite a different opinion on that.

 

Moreover it is not surprising that Genc posts press releases on his website signed by extreme-right Grey Wolves belonging to the Turkish Federation Netherlands. On December 21, the Turkish Federation applied for a Turkish memorial monument, on account of "the atrocities of the Armenians" that would have lead to exactly "517,955 Turkish deaths". Assen municipality is still investigating the request. On April 24 2001, the Armenian monument was finally unveiled. Some 700 Armenians at home and abroad attended the ceremony. Various speakers called for the Dutch and Turkish governments to recognize the genocide.

 

Worldwide

 

This matter also plays a role in the US. The congress is being pressurized into adopting a resolution in which the genocide is recognized. Of the American government, however, with oil-barons like Bush and Cheney at the top, it is expected that they choose for good relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, seen the important oil-pipeline of Baku in Azerbaijan to Ceyhan in Turkey.

 

On January 18 2001, a law was passed in the French parliament that stated:"France openly recognizes the Armenian genocide of 1915". As such France joined the European Parliament and Greece, Italy, Russia and Belgium, who all had different -often opportunistic- reasons to recognize the genocide. The Armenian community in Turkey was not entirely satisfied with the passing of the French law. It would merely be a tactical choice, because

France's divided Turkish community either way would not have the power to react. Many Armenians in France, however, greeted the law with an approval.

 

The Turkish government reacted furiously, pulled back her embassador from Paris and rejected trade agreements with 2 French construction companies. Hundreds of Turks protested in front of French embassies and consulates in Turkey. The newspaper Milliyet published the French president's e-mail

address and called on to "bury him with a flood of protest messages". The Turkish employer's organizations announced to not buy French goods anymore. A heavy lobby delegation of Turkish businessmen sent for Chirac was to no avail, as well as the various phonecalls of the Turkish prime minister Ecevit.

 

Muscles

 

The Dutch government prefers not to burn its fingers on this issue. NATO-partner and EU-candidate-member Turkey cannot be offended, says the ministry of Foreign Affairs:"Herewith we should weigh the cons of offending a befriended nation against the possible pros. And we will have a con if we pass a judgement on genocide." The Turkish government shows again and again that it cannot refute the accusations and historical facts. The unreconcilable and intolerant attitudes in parts of the Turkish community in Holland are unacceptable. The present authorities in Turkey are scared to death of having to compensate Armenian victims and in the future having to compensate Kurds for instance. Furthermore recognition of the genocide clashes with the nationalistic feelings of many Turks, that are a result of the indoctrination of Ataturk's teaching.

 

Source: "Turks deny massacre on Armenians", Jeroen Bosch. In: Alert 2, 2000 and in: Alert1, 2001.

[Paul bunyan]

Well, what you could you expert from the Dutch the largest buyers of German made kiddie****

[15levels]

Well, Paul, perhaps you should have said Dutch government instead of general "dutch", cuz most dutch are very supportive of our cause, its the government that hesitates.

Lets not confuse these two. You may argue that government suppose to represent its people will, then maybe it makes sense, cuz Holland is packed with turks (not too friendly ones)...

[Paul bunyan]

Well, its really the governments who rule not the people

govenments are nearly all powerfull

and the people, merely pipsqueaks

of the dutch I say this at least there not Germans! remember the Germans conspired with the turks to kill the Armenians. and then there is the 6 million Jews amongst them Hollander girl Ann Franke, and of course, the

39 million Europeans who died as a

result of the war