On Sat., April 11, the Turkish-American Cultural Association of Michigan (TACAM) sponsored an event featuring two heavyweight Armenian Genocide deniers—Bruce Fein and Michael Gunter—at Eastern Michigan University (EMU).
The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) “Kopernik Tandourjian” Chapter and the Armenian National Committee of Michigan (ANC of MI) organized a peaceful protest against TACAM’s attempt to use an American institution to distort historical facts and to promote the agenda of the Turkish government.
AYF youth came to EMU from all over Michigan to participate in the peaceful protest. They constituted the majority of the audience in the auditorium. Concurrently, approximately 50 members of the Armenian community participated in the protest outside of the auditorium. Within minutes of the opening presentation, one of the speakers indicated that what had happened to the Armenians in 1915 did not constitute genocide and that it should not be labeled as such. In a show of silent protest, the AYF youth in attendance stood up and turned their backs to the denialists, and displayed signs that read, “Armenian history is not for sale,” “Turkish youth: Learn the truth,” and “Morality above politics.” After a few minutes, the AYF members walked out of the auditorium, distributing four-page informational material on denialist efforts along the way. The Turkish crowd was furious at the youth, and invited them to stay and listen to the speakers’ distortion of facts.
“Our youth showed commendable dedication and discipline in the protest,” said AYF board member Taline Bedirian. It was “a strong reminder that [they] did not and will not forget what happened to their ancestors.” Another member of the AYF leadership, Araxie Tossounian, said that “it was inevitable to make a strong statement in face of the agenda of the Turkish government.”Arekel Chopjian, chairman of the AYF Senior chapter, added that “the youth were very motivated to answer the deniers.”
The ANC of MI last week wrote a formal letter to the president of EMU, Dr. Susan Martin, to express its concern and disappointment over the university’s hosting of the event.
Dr. Hovig Kouyoumdjian, a member of the ANCA Eastern Region Board, explained that “although discreditable, denialists were doing what they were asked to do, but it is our duty to prevent Turkey’s worldwide campaign of denial by defending our right as Americans to condemn any act of genocide.”
“What happened on Saturday was an act of conveying a powerful message that although 100 long years have passed since the Armenian Genocide, the grandchildren of survivors will always raise the voice of truth until justice is prevailed,” said Armenian community leader Raffi Ourlian.
The Detroit community will continue to host a series of events commemorating the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide. On Sat., April 18, the community hosted two prominent speakers—British writer and journalist Robert Fisk, and Armenian-American actor and novelist Eric Bogosian—at the Edsel Ford High School in Dearborn.
Guest Contributor
So commendable! Great work! Bruce Fein had made a career of denial… Great that Armenian youth showed up and stood for the Truth.
Congratulations!!!
I’m so proud of our Armenian youth
For keeping the pressure up to remind the Turkish
Goverment that Armenians will never forget or give up asking for justice for 1.5 million Armenians that were killed by the Turkish
Government in 1915
May God bless the soles of all Armenian genocide victims
We will never forget
{“The Turkish crowd was furious at the youth, and invited them to stay and listen to the speakers’ distortion of facts.”}
These kinds of events positively disprove one of the standard lying excuses offered by the apologists for AG Denialists that those Turks who deny the AG supposedly don’t know.
Supposedly they are ‘victims’ of the Turkish misEducation system.
B____S____: how is it possible for Turks living in these United States to be allegedly misinformed.
They are not misinformed.
They are very well informed.
But they are vile Anti-Armenian denialists who hate Armenians with visceral passion.
Nothing has changed since 1000AD.
Kudos to our young men and women of the AYF for maintaining their composure: very, very hard to stay calm, particularly for young men, in the presence of those denialist-filth provocateurs.
I’m taking the middle path in this: I think Turks living in America are informed about the Armenian genocide but they still qualify as misinformed in my mind. Let me give a few examples of how Turks in America view the Armenian genocide (these are all things said personally to me):
1. “Sure, Turks may have massacred Armenians indiscriminately, but they were working for the Russians during WWI so we shouldn’t condemn the actions taken by the Ottoman government.”
2. “Perhaps the events do qualify as a “genocide” but the word didn’t exist back then so you can’t apply it retroactively.”
3. “Ok so what about the million plus Turks that died in that time period (because, you know, military deaths and civilians murders are the same)
4. “What about the Armenian gangs that went around murdering Turkish and Kurdish civilians. Are we the only guilty ones?”
5. “Would anyone in the world care if Turks had been Christians and Armenians had been Muslims?”
6. “The only reason any country recognizes the Armenian genocide is the Armenian lobby or anti-Turkism.”
7. “Alright let’s say I accept that it was genocide, the Armenians don’t care about justice. They want our money and our lands. Even if I accepted the Armenian genocide I’d deny it officially because why reward people who only care about money?”
That last one was an actual thing my dad said to me last week because every April 24 devolves into an argument about what really happened and why I support people who blindly hate us (apparently). That’s what makes it hard, even in America, for Turks to recognize the Armenian genocide. If you’re brainwashed at home, and brainwashed early enough, you’ll become immune to facts. Every piece of evidence to the contrary becomes twisted to fit your narrative. The first and strongest reaction to anything that would derail a strongly held conviction is denial.
To quote Neil deGrasse Tyson: “The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don’t agree.”
Beware Rand Paul. Fein is his lawyer.