FAMOUS BRITISH JOURNALIST NAMES THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE "THE FIRST HOLOCAUST"

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Oct 23 2006

LONDON, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On October 14th
renowned British journalist Robert Fisk talked at the Maria Assumpta
hall in London Kensington on the issue of what he refers to as the
Armenian ‘Holocaust.’ Robert Fisk is the Middle East correspondent
for the British newspaper The Independent. Organised and hosted by the
Campaign for the Recognition of the Armenian Genocide (CRAG) a British
based lobby group, Mr Fisk, whose most recent book The Great War For
Civilisation, includes a chapter entitled ‘The First Holocaust’ was
invited to present his experiences and thoughts concerning Armenian
Genocide recognition, and its wider implications. Mr Fisk presented
his long-years activity on the issue, including his discovery of an
Armenian mass grave in Syria, his deportation from Turkey in the
early nineties and his numerous trips to collect testimonies from
the Armenians of Beirut. He spoke passionately about the need for
recognition and of said recognition’s importance as a prerequisite
for Turkish entry into the EU. Talking in the wider Middle Eastern
context, Mr Fisk highlighted the Armenian Genocide as another case
of the failure of western governments in pursuing justice in a
region so bereft of it. The veteran reporter criticised the British
and American governments for denying the existence of something he
believes requires no proof. The Armenian Genocide is self-evident and
Fisk remains exceptionally critical of the immoral and hypocritical
policy towards the issue. Fisk’s latest book, The Great War for
Civilisation, is soon to be published in Turkey, where the publishing
house has forewarned him that charges might be brought against him
under the infamous article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. Mr Fisk
told the primarily Armenian audience at Maria Assumpta that he would
consider it an honour to stand in the Turkish dock and defend his
writings. He said he was keen to point out that he does this, not out
of any pro-Armenian sentiment, his motives were a want to defend and
uncover the historical truth.