Protest as memorial is unveiled
Story from BBC NEWS:
7075899.stm
Published: 2007/11/03 15:50:14 GMT
Members of the Turkish community protested at the unveiling of a plaque
to a genocide they say never happened.
The Armenian genocide of 1915 at the time of the Ottoman Empire has
been a source of deep division between Turkish and Armenian communities
worldwide.
Armenians say 1.5m were killed, through systematic massacres or
starvation, a claim denied by the Turkish community.
Saturday’s unveiling at the Temple of Peace in Cardiff events saw
feelings running high on both sides.
Welsh assembly Presiding Officer Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas was at the
unveiling of the plaque which has been paid for by donations from the
Wales Armenia Society.
‘Slandered’
Members of the Turkish community insist that erecting the memorial
amounted to racism.
Protestor Levent Hassan said: "It’s a question of our ancestors being
accused of genocide."
"If such a genocide took place, then let’s prove it and let all
concerned commemorate those horrible events," he added.
"But if there isn’t – why should we allow our ancestors to be slandered
in such a way."
The monument stands in the gardens of the Temple of Peace on what is
said to be the UK’s first piece of public land donated for an Armenian
memorial.
Ahead of the ceremony, Welsh assembly Presiding Officer Dafydd
Elis-Thomas said Wales’s relationship with Armenia "went back
centuries".
He receive a marble cross, or khatchkar, on behalf of Wales at the
unveiling ceremony.
Welsh interest
Lord Elis-Thomas joined members of the Armenian and Christian
communities on Saturday.
"The fact that the funds for this fine memorial have been raised
entirely by the Armenians who live in Wales and that it will occupy a
special place here in the Temple of Peace, reflects the vibrant Welsh
interest in the history of Armenia," he said.
The Welsh Centre for International Affairs, which is located at the
Temple of Peace, is a forum which seeks to promote human rights and
international understanding.
Steven Thomas, its director, sad: "We’ve held events at the Temple of
Peace over the past seven years to note the Armenian genocide,
including parts of ceremonies we’ve held for National Holocaust
Remembrance Day in January each year. "
However, he said there had been a "much bigger response" to the
monument because the commemoration to the Armenians would literally be
set in stone.