How [NOT] To: Armenian Genocide Protest

Points about what is appropriate for an Armenian to do on the Armenian genocide remembrance day – April 24th, started earlier this week by the Armenia blog were picked up by the Ahousekeeper in his post: “Dress code? Yes, dress code!”, followed by a lively discussion:

One day out of the entire year motivates Armenians to get off their butts and do something for their people: April 24th. On the 24th of every April, Armenians the world over – but especially in the Los Angeles area – take to the streets to protest the Turkish embassy for recognition of the Genocide. The younger generation especially goes out to protest.

If you’re planning on doing the same, I have some tips for you:

1. April 24th is not a happy day. In fact, it marks the tortures and deaths of over 1,500,000 of our ancestors. Understand this thoroughly.

2. Don’t wear your latest hot pink top or fluffy mini skirt to the protest. This isn’t your bachelorette party, it’s a solemn occasion. Ask yourself, “Can I wear this to a funeral?” If the answer is no, then pick something else. You will have 364 other days in that year to wear what you want.

[…] visit the original post for more […]

If I sound a little bitter, it’s because I am. Every year I see this and every year it seems to get worse. I understand: you’re too young and not very bright. Kudos to you for deciding to dedicate one day out of your life to a cause greater than your own, but don’t use it as an excuse to make a mockery out of everything we’re fighting for. (Armenia blog)

Teaktak has an interesting observation at Ahousekeeper’s journal:

the saddest part is… … that the beamer driving music blasting punks don’t usually log into the net to read blogs, How to’s or informational sources for that matter. Besides, people have different understandings of the word “scream”, which is becoming mainstream for the cause.

Bekaisa(ru) brings in a whole new dimension to the Genocide discussion with her post, which has sparked a wave of comments too:

At yesterday’s meeting with the director of the film Screamers, I said, that if I were to go for a march on 24 April with some sort of symbolics, I would have gone with a banner saying “I forgive”.

The point is “not to forget, but to forgive”, Bekaisa(ru) speculates further, although she will most likely refrain from attending the traditional march to Tsitsernakaberd [the Armenian genocide memorial in Yerevan], but that’s a whole different issue, the blogger says.

The replies to the post are mostly highly critical (Orientalian(ru), Dmboshka(ru)), calling the post “cynical” and contesting various other points of view – all in the same spirit.

Narjan(ru) has taken the discussion over to his blog with the question:

Dear people, why don’t you tell me something, hah? What does it mean to forgive turks in general? Who alone, or which group of people can claim that they represent one and a half millions of genocide victims, to have the authority of forgiving or not forgiving?

However all the mentioned posts and comments to them prove an important point – we need a lot more discussion here in Armenia about the Armenian genocide, the quest for its recognition and our attitudes towards Genocides in general.

6 comments

  • The armenians spend a massive amount of energy spreading genocide proopaganda.but dont seem to have it in them to file a case at the ICC. i wonder why.

  • Liborale

    The ICC (International Criminal Court) only applies to crimes committed after the coming into force of the Statute on July 1, 2002. http://www.icc-cpi.int/

  • jason

    armenians killed approx 150.000 people in norh-western Iran, with the azerbaijna awakining movement, soon we’ll have a big problem, cities like Urumiye, khoy, tabriz,salmas…..will become our wrong doings pay-back grounds.

  • jason – please provide facts: links to websites, references to publications, etc. Otherwise your claim is invalid and your comment worthless!

  • Ry

    First of all, the nay-sayers need to acknowledge the difference between War vs Genocide. The Turkish fiction that you are reading is just another way for these Islamic cretins to abscond with a cowardly killing of innocent women children and numerous individuals.

    The NW territory in Iran was originally Armenia’s but because those Islamic bottom feeding occurred from by taking advantage of Armenian niceness as weakness, they ended up leeching that bit of land. The facts speak for themselves and refute your ASSumptions. I understand that in your Koran it is not stated as follows but please have the reading comprehension level of an adult before you prattle erroneous hoaxes like “Armenians killed etc.” Excuse me, but since the remaining survivors of the Genocide were forced to be on the chopping block, unlike the others who chose death over Islamic Turkishness, they chose not to become victims by RESPONDING in SELF-DEFENSE to the Turks who were initially going to slaughter them first. This was not a mutually agreed “war” as FACTS show. This was a GENOCIDE planned and specifically organized and aimed at annihilated a group of people who refused to submit to Islam. This all transpired AFTER the Armenians et al, were conquered by the Ottoman Turk empire. The Turkish motive to demolish these Armenian Christians came by the way of the “Young Turks” who outlined their campaign to destroy Armenians. The historical amnesia you suffer from is mind boggling because all of your statements contradict wholeheartedly with the facts and this is exactly what the Turks want–more excuses to cover up their crime against humanity, as history has shown. Could we not say and draw a parallel to this scenario? That much like their successors (the Nazis), they tend to use the same out-moded arguments e.g. “it was a war, so what you killed us too.” I recommend you go read about Turks’ Asiatic roots because they do not even land on the Anatolian highlands till Ghengis Khan and his Mongol hordes cast them there during the Byzantine Empire 900 years ago. Just because a crime occurs today and we all as humanity do not discern it till past moments later, does not mean that this incident did not occur. This would be like saying “well Charles Manson despite his cover-up arguments committed these murders 40 years ago and we are in the year 2007 now so that means this does not matter.” Reality does not change just because you grasp situations late.

  • caman66

    Acceptance of the genocide by the turks is not important.
    Armenians claim their lands that are occupied by the turkish army.turks signed the treaty of Sevres.They will have to honour their signature one day.(when they grow up and evolve to real people)

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