FAKE COMPASSION OF EUROPE’S RIGHT-WING: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
James Cooke
PEJ News, Canada
Peace, Earth & Justice News
Socialist Perspectives
Oct 21 2006
On the surface, this appears to be a Left cause – Turkey seems guilty
of holocaust-denial. Rewriting history is always a dangerous route to
take, especially when those doing it are heads of state; the result
is traditionally scapegoating and repression. Anyone who stands for
justice and equality takes a firm stance against such behavior. With
that said, one has to wonder why this particular event, which took
place over a hundred years ago, is suddenly making headlines. To view
this emerging topic as a simple case of holocaust-denial is to align
oneself with the anti-Islamic wing of Europe who are using the topic
to inflame ethnic and religious tensions, consolidate their racist
constituency, and shift national issues away from the ever-worsening
social reality- much like what is happening in the U.S., not to
mention Australia.
The spark that united the current debate occurred in France, where
Jacques Chirac, the right-wing President, and Nicolas Sarkozy,
Chirac’s ultra-right Interior Minister, co-supported a law making
denial of the Armenian genocide a crime; earlier in the year France
officially recognized the event as genocide. Now Chirac has publicly
stated that Turkey, who does not recognize the WWI happenings as
genocide, should do so if it wants entrance into the European Union.
Once again, taking this move on its face, the usually-callous French
leaders appear to be putting humanity ahead of politics. Just the
opposite is the case, as it always is.
Before an opinion is formed on this issue, some preliminary details
should be pondered. One should first reflect on the fact that the
Armenian genocide was the work of Ottoman Turks (Muslims), responsible
for killing Armenian Christians. This particular detail should raise
an eyebrow, considering the current climate of religious tension in
the world.
Additional suspicion is required when one considers the credibility
of these suddenly-virtuous French leaders, whose past actions have
made them the object of contempt from much of French society. Chirac
is the French equivalent of George Bush- he is widely unpopular and
considered by many to be a lame duck. The massive protests that
took place in response to the First Employment Contract proposed
by Chirac had revolutionary potential, and forced the President
to make a substantial, albeit temporary retreat in his right-wing
policy-making. The sad state of France has forced its leaders into
the cellars of society to find political support; religion, racism,
and demagoguery are the tactics now relied on to divert attention
from the pressing issues of the country. Suddenly, the most prized
constituents are the most backward, content with easy answers to
complex questions. Immigrants and Muslims have been hardest hit by
this shift of strategy.
The subtle anti-Islamic rhetoric that both politicians and the media
had been using evolved into the most racist and reactionary state
policies. French schools are now under a country-wide ban of Muslim
headscarves and other "conspicuous’ religious symbols, a blatant
violation of a founding principle of the French republic- freedom of
religion. Chirac’s national address concerning the issue was greeted by
the media with fanfare and hysteria as he tried to twist the issue into
one of great historical importance. The social problems of France were
now blamed on a ‘clash of cultures’- the method used by every despotic
regime in history facing desperation and crisis. The Muslims of France
were painted as foreign entities, unable to acclimate themselves to
French society, something that is now blamed for their devastating
poverty and consequently, overt rebelliousness.
In October 2005, the culmination of the ‘Muslim question’ took place in
riot form, spreading quickly across France and eventually throughout
much of Europe, reflecting the continent-wide significance of the
issue. Those rioting were mainly Islamic youth of African heritage,
unhappy with unemployment, poverty, and state-sponsored racism. The
French government responded with ruthless repression, implanting
curfews and a three-month long state of emergency. Little was mentioned
about the social conditions responsible for the uprising. Nicholas
Sarkozy, always in the vanguard of anti-Islamic rhetoric, referred to
the rioters as ‘rubble’ and ‘scum’, using the event as a pretext for
even harsher laws and a ‘monitoring program’ aimed at the extremely
early detection of troublemakers; Muslims will be the overwhelming
target in this case.
With the above taken into consideration, the new genocide-denial
law cannot be supported. It is an insult to the memories of those
Armenians actually persecuted during WWI; their deaths are being
shamelessly exploited by a regime in crisis, looking for any reason
to shift the country’s problems away from those responsible for
decision-making. Chirac and his cohorts are literally incapable
of such empathy, responding with genuine emotion only when their
corporate masters are threatened.
Fortunately, many Armenians of the region understand the racist
intentions of the new law, and have vowed to travel to France to
become criminals for breaking a law that is allegedly meant to protect
them. This level of political consciousness is severely lacking by
many of those interested in the subject.
It is enough to know that most governments in the world today
are mirrored reflections of an internationally unhealthy business
environment; the corporations that have long controlled the mainstream
political parties are expressing their desperation through their
electoral voice boxes. The ever-deepening conflict of interests between
the needs of corporations and that of average people has created
an environment of hostility towards governments across the globe,
resulting in the low-brow political maneuvers so familiar to those
living in the U.S. At this stage, EVERY policy implemented by every 1st
world government should be looked upon with deep suspicion. Scratching
the surface will usually reveal the most sickening of intentions.
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