Groups Protest Genocide Denial at Northwestern University
Chicago, IL – A coalition of groups working against genocide protested
outside Northwestern’s Lurie Medical Research Center in downtown
Chicago, where a program denying Turkey’s genocide of 1.5 Million
Armenians was being conducted by the Turkish American Cultural
Alliance (TACA) and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations
(ATAA).
`It’s unfortunate that Northwestern University is allowing its
facilities to be used for an event denying the Armenian Genocide,’
stated Maral Vartanian-Abrahamian, representative of the Armenian
National Committee of Illinois (ANC of IL), one of the organizations
protesting the program. `Northwestern’s prestige has been damaged by
carelessly providing a podium for hate speech in the form of genocide
denial,’ she continued.
Dozens of demonstrators carried signs displaying `ATAA Go Away’ and
`Northwestern – Complicit in Genocide Denial,’ while chanting slogans
such as `Don’t Deny the Genocide,’ referring to Turkey’s 1915 genocide
of 1.5 million Armenians. In addition to the ANC of Illinois, several
other groups took part in the protest including Northwestern
University’s STAND (a student anti-genocide coalition), the Genocide
Education Network of Illinois, and the Armenian Youth Federation.
`We are here today to remind the ATAA and the TACA that genocide
denial and historical revisionism will not be tolerated,’ stated Shant
Papazian, Chairman of the Armenian Youth Federation’s Chicago chapter.
`Instead of helping Turkey face up to its horrific past, these
organizations continue to perpetuate the myths generated by Turkish
government,’ he added.
The TACA/ATAA event featured a renowned genocide denier,
Prof. Türkkaya Ataöv, whose presentation was entitled "Turks &
Armenians: What Really Happened on April 24, 1915." During his
presentation, Ataöv stressed how, through the centuries, the Turks
had been benevolent toward the Armenians, and how the Armenians were
an ungrateful nation. Leading up to the First World War, Ataöv
stated, that the Armenians fought the Turks out of a sense of
superiority, even though the Turks allowed Armenians to live in peace
and freedom. He continued by stating the Turks were kind enough to
escort the Armenians out of their homes in April of 1915 and into
safety, telling them that it will be ok to return once the conflicts
were over. He then surmised that the Armenians did not return because
they were ashamed of their bad behavior towards the Turks.
Early in Ataöv’s presentation, Northwestern Campus police confronted
the Armenians seated in the audience and demanded that they leave the
auditorium, despite the fact that they had been seated and silent
during presentation. Once in the lobby, the police informed the
Armenian attendees that they were `not welcome at this event and
needed to leave.’ One of the event organizers came out of the
auditorium and interceded, stating that they had not been disruptive
and were welcome to stay.
Prior to returning to the auditorium, however, the Armenians were
accosted by ATAA President-elect Ergun Kırlıkovalı, who stated, "I
am tired of you people showing up to all my events and calling me a
bloody murderer." Despite this confrontation, the Armenians were
allowed back into the auditorium, but were subject to close
surveillance. Following Ataöv’s presentation, Kırlıkovalı was
introduced and took the podium. At various points in his
presentation, Kırlıkovalı spoke sarcastically of the Armenians, and
these comments were often greeted with laughter and warmly received by
many the 100 or Turks in attendance.
`Not only were the content and tone of Ataöv’s and Kırlıkovalı’s
pre sentations offensive, but the fact that such a program is being
held within days of April 24th, the 95th Anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, is insulting to the memory of the victims and their
families,’ stated Vartanian-Abrahamian.
The Turkish organizations hosting the program have long been active in
genocide denial. The ATAA has sued the State of Massachusetts and
threatened school districts in unsuccessful attempts to exclude the
Armenian Genocide from genocide and holocaust education programs such
as those mandated by the State of Illinois. The ATAA has been under
close scrutiny since wiretapped conversations between Turkish
diplomats at the Chicago consulate and local ATAA officials revealed
that the organization attempted to bribe Speaker of the House Dennis
Hastert in order to prevent passage of legislation regarding the
Armenian Genocide.
Although the TACA is ostensibly a cultural organization, the majority
of the activities listed on its website (grassroots.tacaonline.org)
seem instead directed toward denying the Armenian Genocide rather than
promoting Turkish culture. These activities include efforts to block
legislation in Congress marking the Armenian Genocide and lectures
focused on Armenians and Kurds, two of the most oppressed groups in
Turkish society.
Beginning in April, 1915, and continuing until 1923, the Turkish
government conducted a program of described by then US Ambassador to
Turkey Henry Morgenthau as `race extermination,’ resulting in the
deaths of over 1.5 million Armenians, 750,000 Assyrians, and 330,000
Pontian Greeks. Although some of the leaders responsible for the
genocide were found guilty in abstentia for crimes against humanity by
a tribunal conducted by the post-war Turkish government, the current
Turkish government denies that a genocide occurred. The Turkish
government has gone as far a making it a criminal offense publicly
discuss the Armenian Genocide, and several notable Turks, including
Nobel-prize winning author Orhan Pamuk, have been indicted under this
law.
The Turkish government’s position runs contrary to that of most
independent genocide and holocaust scholars worldwide, as well as many
governments. Raphael Lemkin, the Polish lawyer who was the primary
force behind the adoption of the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide,
invented the word `genocide’ specifically to describe the experience
of the Armenians in WWI and the victims of the Holocaust in WWII.
The Armenian National Committee of Illinois is a grassroots public
affairs organization serving to inform, educate, and act on a wide
range of issues concerning Armenian Americans throughout the state of
Illinois.