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Sydney’s Greek, Armenian and Assyrian communities are being encouraged to participate in the 2021 March for Justice, which will occur in Sydney’s CBD on Saturday, April 24, according to the Armenian National Committee of Australia.
The Joint Justice Initiative, which is represented by the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), the Assyrian National Council of Australia and the Australian Hellenic Council, are calling on their respective communities to turn up to The Domain in Sydney to begin the March for Justice, which sends a clear message to Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and his government that these communities demand Federal Government recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.
This cooperative _expression_ of demand is a graduation of the Joint Justice Initiative’s activities from the strictly political to the grassroots. Since the three communities’ advocacy arms formalised their cooperation with a launch in February 2020, over 40 Federal parliamentarians have signed up to the Joint Justice Initiative, pledging allegiance to national Australian recognition of the 1915 genocides.
READ MORE: Australia’s Greek community join initiative to recognise Turkish-committed genocide against the Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian citizens.
The annual March For Justice will begin at 3pm (AEST), and typically attracts thousands of marchers. This year’s procession will begin at The Domain and proceed through Sydney’s Central Business District before concluding with a special programme at Sydney Town Hall.
Led by the Homenetmen Scouts Marching band, the leading delegation will also include political representatives, clergy, community leaders, youth groups and school students from the Armenian Australian, Assyrian Australian and Greek Australian communities.
READ MORE: Australian MP John Alexander joins Armenian-Assyrian-Greek ‘Joint Justice Initiative’.
“Most Armenian Australians, as well as many Assyrian Australians and Greek Australians, are direct descendants of survivors of what we commemorate as the Armenian Genocide,” said ANC-AU Political Affairs Director, Michael Kolokossian.
“Many of us have been directly impacted by the the Turkish State’s genocidal policies, execution and denial in our own ways, and us Armenians saw this manifest again during the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War.
READ MORE: Michael Sukkar MP pledges support to Armenian-Assyrian-Greek ‘Joint Justice Initiative’.
The Joint Justice Initiative’s march last year. Photo: Facebook.
“We are pleased to be standing in solidarity with our sisters and brothers from the Assyrian and Greek communities at this year’s March for Justice, and are determined to project our voices all the way to Canberra.”
Buses have been organised to be leaving from numerous locations across Sydney including Willoughby, Chatswood, Ryde, Bonnyrigg, Lidcombe and Wentworthville. Announcements detailing specifics will follow.
READ MORE: Australian Senator Larissa Waters joins Joint justice Initiative for recognition of Armenian, Greek and Assyrian genocides.
The March for Justice is also co-sponsored by the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee and organised by a group of the largest Armenian Australian organisations.
A similar group of organisations in Melbourne have announced a Melbourne March for Justice for the same day, April 24, 2021.
Source: Armenian National Committee of Australia.