Armenian Genocide and Anzac Day.

The Inconvenient Armenian Genocide.

With the one hundredth anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population in 1915, it is refreshing to hear a world leader in the form of Pope Francis describe these appalling events for what they were. How numerous Turkish Governments continue to refer to the death of 600,000 to 1,500,000 million people as a mere tragedy is beyond belief. Driven from their home at gun point, old men, women and children forced to walk half way across the Near East to a location in the Syrian desert without food or water is not the action of a civilised people. Little wonder few survived their experience, many shot, raped and killed in route. To rub salt into the wounds of the Armenians their homes were then declared abandoned by the Government   who subsequently sold them for their own profit.

The recently published book ‘An Inconvenient Genocide’, by Geoffrey Robertson Q.C. analysis the evidence, Laws of Genocide, and details of these events and leaves any fair minded reader with only one conclusion. Likewise the German Government of the day despite numerous reports from missionaries, consuls and other foreign representatives chose to disregard the information and made no attempt to put a stop to the slaughter. This charade has gone on for one hundred years and needs to stop. In Turkey anyone who raises the question is prosecuted with a likely jail sentence. What is the Turkish Government afraid of reparation why the denial, they accept that these events happened but refuse any responsibility.

The Australian, American and British Governments are no better, they likewise refer to these events as a tragedy, how one can call the forced death of 600,000 to 1,500,000 people a tragedy is beyond belief, yet this is what I believe our Foreign Minister Julie Bishop remarked. These Governments don’t wish to upset the Turkish relationship which they consider more important than the closure of the cleansing for the descendants of their lost forbearers.

One would have hoped that both our Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister could have had the decency to attend the one hundredth commemoration in Yerevan while in Turkey for Anzac Day. After all it is only next door and the fear of the Allies landing in Gallipoli prompted the Turks to round up the Armenians for fear they may assist the Western Allies on day before the landing. Still we should not expect our political masters to study history.