Hellenic-Americans Join Armenian Genocide Commemorations 2008
For Immediate Release: April 30, 2008
Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York, Tel. 1-917-699-9935
NEW YORK—The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) together with the Pan-Pontian Federation USA and CANADA, joined the Armenian Genocide Commemorations in New York’s City Hall and in Times Square in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, by Turkey.
At the 93 rd Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide On April 25, 2008 over 10 high ranking representatives of the Pan-Pontian Federation of USA and CANADA , came to New York City’s City Hall to stand in support of an address by Pan-Pontian General Secretary Dimitris Molohides , grandson of Genocide survivors from Pontus, together with City dignitaries and Armenian representatives. Mr. Molohides addressed the Armenians as brothers in the struggle for remembrance, he detailed the murder of our people by the Turks and Turkey’s crimes against civilization in Pontus in 1919, and Constantinople in 1955, in Smyrna in 1922, and Cyprus in 1974, ending with the remark “time is up” he called for passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution in congress. The Pan-Pontian delegation was warmly greeted in the City Hall commemorations, and personally acknowledged by Keynote speaker and genocide scholar Professor Henry Theriault whose presentation also included details on the Pontic Greek Genocide of 1919.
The historic Armenian Genocide Commemorations in Times Square in New York City, took place on Sunday, April 27, 2008, and this year many Pontians attended holding banners and flags from Hellas, Cyprus and Pontus. Pan-Pontian General Secretary Dimitris Molohides was seated in the grand stand of honored dignitaries of Armenian Genocide survivors and their families, elected officials, and humanitarian, cultural, religious, educational and community leaders. Distinguished speakers included U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ); U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; Carla Garapedian, director of the award-winning documentary Screamers, which explores the history of reoccurrence and denial of genocides in the 20th and 21st centuries; Attorney Mark J. Garagos, who helped lead groundbreaking Federal Class Action Lawsuits against New York Life and other insurance companies for insurance polices issued to Armenians living in Turkey prior to the Armenian Genocide; and Genocide and Holocaust scholar Alex Hinton, PhD, Director of the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University and Vice President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars; and Dr. Daniel Jonah Goldhagen,
author of Hitler's Willing Executioners. In 2009, Goldhagen will host the PBS documentary Worse Than War, based on his forthcoming book exploring the general phenomenon of genocide throughout the world. The Commemoration theme was "We Cannot Forget, We Will
Not Forget."
Following on the heels of the groundbreaking move by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), which just this past December 2007, voted overwhelmingly to recognize the genocides inflicted on Assyrian and Greek populations of the Ottoman Empire between 1914 and 1923—CANA joins with the Armenian people in solemn remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and reaffirms a commitment by Hellenic-Americans of conscience who, for many years, remain determined, to secure full recognition and justice for Turkey’s crimes.
The standard reply by our detractors is “oh stop living in the past”, we as descendents of survivors of ethnic cleansing and genocide remind the world, that history is not the past, history is today, Turkey’s international industry of denial financed to the tune of millions of dollars worldwide, and extending into American Universities and Congress’ corridors, falsely legitimizes Turkey’s criminal state , which denies the Armenian Genocide, denies the Pontic Greek Genocide, and denies the ongoing military-occupation, military-invasions of Cyprus.
Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida’s 19th Congressional district is a living example of how Armenian Genocide deniers are also Cyprus invasion deniers, various Turkish lobbies and Athens funded lobbies such as Manatos and Manatos and “PSEKA”, continue to fund the election campaign of the loudest Genocide denier in Congress, Robert Wexler, described by his Congressional challenger Ben Graber as “the only Jewish member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to deny Genocide…”
The 93rd anniversary in Cyprus was marked by a series of events under the auspices of Cyprus House President Marios Karoyan, who is Armenian.
Vartkes Mahdessian, another Armenian representative at the Cyprus House remarked
“The Armenians will continue their struggle until the final justification, a duty owed to the victims of the genocide,” Mahdessian said. “It is time that the political leadership of Turkey found the courage to recognise the crimes the previous Turkish governments committed, justifying the victims of not only the Armenian genocide but of the Greeks, Cypriots, Kurds, Arabs, Pontic Greeks and other peoples, in the hope that it will at some point join the European Union.”
Please join CANA and the Pontian struggle, in the coming months, and years, we will mark a new spirit to seek truth and justice, for we cannot forget and we will not forget.
To view and download pictures of Hellenic-Americans at the Armenian Genocide commemorations 2008, visit this page, available on our homepage titled “Photos Of Hellenic-Americans At Armenian Genocide Commemorations 2008:
http://cyprusactionnetwork.org/photos_of_hellenic-americans_at_armenian_genocide_commemorations_2008
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Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
2578 Broadway #132
New York, NY 10025
New York: Tel. 917-699-9935
Email: cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org
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