PEABODY REMEMBERS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Jenny Amaral
The Daily Item of Lynn
April 18 2008
MA
PEABODY – The deep red, blue, and orange colors of the Armenian flag
stood out against the cloudless sky as it was raised in front of
City Hall Thursday afternoon in remembrance of the 93rd anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide.
The ceremony has become a meaningful tradition in Peabody since
former Mayor Peter Torigian, whose father was a Genocide survivor,
first organized the event 30 years ago.
"Pete was not only a great mayor, he was someone who had a great love
for Armenian people," said Mayor Michael Bonfanti. "He made me see
the light."
The day began with the raising of the flag by the only Genocide
survivor able to attend this year’s event, 98-year-old Carl Mootafian
of Salem. All of 4-foot-11 and dressed for the occasion in a black pea
coat, slacks, and dress shoes, topped with a scally cap, he proudly
and loudly led the singing of the Armenian national anthem in his
native tongue.
Moving inside to Wiggin Auditorium, Bonfanti addressed the dozens
of supporters in attendance. He said that he was proud of the city’s
religious, ethnic, and cultural tolerance, as well as their support
in recognizing what many parts of the world deny ever happened.
"Let us not forget," he said. From 1915-1923, the Turkish Ottoman
Empire organized the brutal killing of over 1.5 million Armenians
living in Turkey. Many were slaughtered and others were forced out
into the ocean to drown or sent to the dessert to die beneath the
hot sun. To this day, the Turkish government remains in denial of
any such massacre.
"We must never forget atrocities that were and are still being
committed by man to his fellow man," Bonfanti said, adding that he is
both "horrified and repulsed" by what he’s seen and "can’t comprehend
the inhumanity."
Recently, Bonfanti announced that Peabody would no longer associate
with the Anti Defamation League’s No Place For Hate Program because
they do not recognize the Armenian Genocide as a historical fact.
"I thought it was the right thing to do," said Bonfanti, who earned
the title of "honorary Armenian."
After the Rev. Stepan Baljian of St. Stephen’s Church in Watertown
gave a blessing and requiem, local Armenian filmmaker Apo Torosyan
showed his short documentary "Witnesses."
"It’s not a wonderful story, but it’s something that’ll remain
forever," he said. The film told the horrific stories of two women
who experienced the Armenian Genocide at the tender ages of 8 and 11.
Several others spoke, including Patrice Tierney, wife of state
Rep. John Tierney; the daughters of former Mayor Torigian; and Tom
Vartabedian of the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of the
Merrimack Valley.
"We as Armenians have recovered from a terrible blow," said
Vartabedian, who urged audience members to spread their message to
today’s youth. "This is not a persecution of a race, but a preservation
of a nation."