HELLENIC ACTIVISTS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE FOR TURKEY’s CRIMES

HELLENIC ACTIVISTS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE FOR TURKEY’s CRIMES

NEW YORK—On the weekend of September 19th-20th activists of the Hellenic League of America (HLA) and The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) stood in support of Justice for Turkey’s Genocidal Crimes by joining the “Justice, Not Protocols” demonstration on Saturday September 19th outside the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City, and participating in ‘The 87th Anniversary of the Greek Holocaust’ in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday September 20, 2009.

For over 10 years now the small Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church of Brooklyn New York has been holding a Memorial Service for the victims of the Hellenic Genocide. Organized by Archon Deputatos and Basilios Theodosakis, this year’s small commemoration entitled ‘The 87th Anniversary of the Greek Holocaust’ featured such guest speakers as Ioannis Fidanakis, President of Panthracian Union of America “Orpheus”, Dimitris Molohidis, General Secretary of the Pan-Pontian Federation , and Professor Michael Stratis. The main theme of this year’s commemoration was the importance of unity within the community and the need for cooperation between the different Hellenic societies from Thrace, Asia Minor and Pontos, on the issue of recognition of the Hellenic Genocide.

Below is President Fidanakis’ speech.

“We gather here today to honor and pay our respects to all those Hellenes who perished between the years of 1914 to 1923 at the hands of the Turk. Brutalized, humiliated and forced to endure the most horrific of circumstances, our ancestors suffered a policy of systematic annihilation. Using death marches, concentration camps, and massacres, 1.4 million Hellenes from Eastern Thrace, Asia Minor, and Pontos were exterminated in front of the entire world, a world which continues to this very day to remain silent on the suffering of our forefathers as an act of appeasement towards a nation who continues to violate the rights and freedoms of its indigenous minorities. Yet we ourselves are to blame for this, as feelings of regionalism divide us and prevent us from having a united voice. For if we do not have a united voice how shall we ever achieve international recognition for our own Genocide? We must stand united and proclaim: We will never forgive, we will never forget!”

On Saturday September 19th, 2009 the Hellenic League of America (HLA) and the Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) demonstrated in opposition to the so-called “Protocols for the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between Armenia and Turkey.” The demonstration was in front of the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations and was organized by the AYF. The Armenians welcomed us warmly, and often shouted out “TURKEY OUT OF CYPRUS” along with “TURKEY GUILTY OF GENOCIDE.” (See YouTube Videos below for more coverage)

We stood in support of the Armenian people who collectively have done the most worldwide to make mankind aware of Genocidal Turkey and have kept up the fight for so long to bring the murderers of their people, and ultimately our own Hellenic people in Asia Minor, Thrace, Pontos and Cyprus to justice.

We stood in solidarity with the Armenian Diaspora ,and in opposition to Diplomatic Relations with Genocidal Turks.

Below is the complete text of the announcement:

“The Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region stands in complete opposition to the so-called “Protocols for the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between Armenia and Turkey.”

“We find the Protocols repeated emphasis on territorial integrity, the inviolability of frontiers, and the dogma that current state boundaries must be maintained—without any mention of peoples right to self-determination—to be a dangerous reversal of Armenias diplomatic support for the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Any hope that Armenia can negotiate successfully in the interests of Nagorno Karabakh has been compromised with the announcement of this document.
Further, we find the provision requiring recognition of the existing border between the two countries to be an illegitimate surrendering of the Armenian peoples legal and rightful claims to our historic homeland. Adoption of such a binding document would amount to an official acceptance of our criminal dispossession at the hands of Turkey during the Armenian Genocide and a direct blow to the long-fought struggle for justice and restitution.

Additionally, we find the Protocols intention to create a sub-commission on the historical dimension in order to carry out a purported scientific examination of the historical records to be morally reprehensible and detrimental to the interests of the Armenian nation. Such an initiative is clearly a ploy to cast doubt on the veracity of the Armenian Genocide and roll back the growing tide of international recognition of this crime against humanity.

The Armenian governments acceptance of such a provision would effectively make it an accomplice in Turkeys age-old campaign to distort the overwhelming scholarly consensus confirming the Armenian Genocide.

Contrary to the initial claims of the administration that normalization would occur without preconditions, the above-mentioned provisions are only a few of the many unacceptable points in the Protocols which demonstrate a capitulation to Turkeys longstanding anti-Armenian demands. The ending of Turkeys illegal blockade should not come at this cost of signing away Armenias security, viability and future.

We call on President Serzh Sargsyan to immediately withdraw his administrations participation in these Protocol negotiations. We find these actions to be a setback for our people and believe they should be rejected by all those who aspire to secure the interests of the Armenian Republic.

We call on the Armenian Nation, those within the Republic and in the Diaspora, to express their opposition to this dangerous proposal and take immediate action to prevent the Armenian government from signing on to these Protocols.
As Armenian youth, we pledge to do everything in our power to defend our peoples national interests and prevent these Protocols from being pushed through.”
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YOU TUBES OF THE PROTEST (notice the many images of our participation and our beautiful Hellenic National flags)

Part 1 of 5: Armenians Protest Against the Protocols: New York AYF Protest *towards the end the Armenians thank Hellenic-Americans, Hellenic-Cypriots and Hellenic-Macedonians
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHMUkvZXlOA

Pajhin 2 of 5 AYF PROTEST - Justice Not Protocols *Armenian Speaker thanks Greek-Americans, Greek-Macedonians and Greek-Cypriots and Yells out with crowd
Loud and Proud
“TURKEY OUT OF CYPRUS”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKWsXn3uH8

Part 3 of 5: SINISTER TURKISH PROTOCOLS LIT ON FIRE, SET AFLAME, BURNED to a CRISP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRnmnfQBJyA

Pajhin 4 of 5: 3rd Hour: 2009 AYF PROTEST in NEW YORK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_93j2RrsD8Q

Part 5 of 5: AYF PROTEST AGAINST TURKEY's EVIL PROTOCOLS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w-iWMf6GPc

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR A HIGH RESOLUTION PICTURE OF HLA AND CANA ACTVISTS AT THE DEMONSTRATION:

http://hellenicleagueofamericahla.org/hellenic_activists_fight_for_justice_for_turkeys_crimes
See also the Magna GRECE on-line Journal coverage:
http://magnagrece.blogspot.com/2009/09/justice-not-protocols-rally-pictorial.html

For More info on getting involved with “Justice, Not Protocols” visit:
http://justicenotprotocols.com/

http://www.hellenicleagueofamericahla.org/