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Canada: Parliament Hill was overflowing Armenian Genocide Commemoration 103

April 26, 2018 By administrator

Ottawa, Canada commemoration of Armenian Genocide 103

Parliament Hill was overflowing with members of the Armenian community in Ottawa on Tuesday, marking the 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The demonstrators commemorated the estimated 1.5 million Armenians who were killed in April 1915 before marching on the Turkish embassy to seek recognition from the Turkish government.Jimmy and Phil Philipossian, father and son, stood quietly on the edge of the hill. Jimmy Philipossian, 75, said his parents were living in Adana during the Turkish takeover of the former Armenian city. When the genocide began, they escaped.

“A very close person (to them) said,” You better go fast because they are going to kill you both, “said Philipossian. “So my parents, they moved very fast at that moment to survive.”

Now, more than a century after the genocide, Philipossian said it’s important to remember. Father and son said it was a “big relief” to see the large number of people at Tuesday’s meeting.

“There was a lot of land that was lost with lives … you can not forget such a past,” he said.

But Armenians were not alone on the Hill or in front of the embassy. They were greeted by a Turkish counter-demonstration of one-third the size of the Armenian participation. They say that the killings that took place from 1915 took place in the context of the civil war and did not deserve the label of “genocide”.

For Turkish community member Kevser Taymez, the historical context is complicated, with suffering on both sides, she said. “What Armenians and Turks in Canada should do is remember our losses together,” she said. “I am here to protest that Armenians are raising their children to hate the Turks.”

Terminology is an important issue for both communities. Sevag Belian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee, prefers to use the term “gathering” to describe the annual event on the Hill.

“We do not like to call it a protest,” he said. “Canada recognized the Armenian genocide at the parliamentary level in 2002 with the resolution of the Senate, in 2004 with the House of Commons resolution, and in 2006 the government recognized the genocide.

According to Belian, the real protest only began when protesters started down Wellington Street towards the Turkish embassy.

Armenian and Turkish groups were kept apart all afternoon by police barriers. They marched three kilometers to the embassy in separate intervals. Nearly 700 members of the Armenian community were surrounded by some 300 Turkish members of MacDonald Gardens, across from the embassy.

Canada, Yousuf Karsh bust unveiled in downtown Ottawa

June 10, 2017 By administrator

Photo, Armenian National Committee of Canada

The bust of prominent Canadian–Armenian photographer Yousuf Karsh was unveiled in front of the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, the Armenian Committee of Canada said in a Facebook post.

“The bust that is a gift from the Armenian people to the Canadian people stands as a lasting symbol of the strong friendship between Canada and Armenia,” the Committee said.

The event was attended by a number of guests, including Armenia’s ambassador to Canada Armen Yeganyan.

The bust is a gift from the Armenian people to the Canadian people on behalf of not only 150th of Canada’s Confederation, but also the 25th anniversary of Canadian-Armenian diplomatic relations, Yeganyan said in a post of his own.

The choice of Chateau Laurier as the venue for the bust was not accidental. Karsh’s first solo exhibition was in 1936 in the Drawing Room of the hotel. He moved his studio into the hotel in 1973, and it remained there until he retired in 1992.

Karsh has been recognized as one of the great portrait photographers of the 20th century by Time magazine and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with the latter noting the “distinct style in his theatrical lighting.”

CANADA: Armenian AYF Canada Organizes Day of Activism in Ottawa Armenian Genocide

April 24, 2016 By administrator

AYF Otawa activiism Ottawa – Members of the Armenian Youth Federation of Canada have gathered in Ottawa today prior to the official commemoration day of the 101st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to raise awareness about the cause.
Earlier during the day, more than 100 activists gathered at the busiest intersections of Canada’s capital, distributing over 2,000 informative fliers about the Genocide and the Turkish government’s ongoing policy of denial.

At 6:00 PM, the activists, tied to each other with rope, depicting a typical deportation march, marched down Sussex Dr. while reading historic accounts of the Genocide. The march concluded at the the CF Rideau Centre, where the participants staged a mass die-in to draw the public’s attention, who were provided with further information.

The activism is scheduled to continue throughout the night. The group plans on holding a candlelight vigil at the Turkish Embassy at 8:00 PM, the same location where thousands of Canadians will gather on Sunday, April 24th to protest against the Turkish government.

Armenian AYF Canada Stages Mass Walkout at Ottawa University to Protest Genocide Denial

March 9, 2016 By administrator

ayfcanada1 OTTAWA(Horizon Weekly) – On Saturday, March 5, members of the Armenian Youth Federation of Canada (AYF Canada), in collaboration with the Armen Karo Student Association and the Armenian Students’ Association at Carleton University, conducted a mass walk-out at Carlton University, to express their concern and indignation to the administration of Carleton University and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NSPIA).

The university’s administration and the NSPIA collaborated with the Council of Turkish Canadians (CTC)—an organization known to promote events denying the Armenian Genocide and present Turkish-Armenian issues in a divisive manner—to hold a two-day conference on Turkish-Canadian relations at the university.

The CTC organized the conference under the deceiving title of “Turkey-Canada Relations in Troubled Times,” when in actuality, the event promoted anti-Armenian sentiments. The organizers held a panel discussion, which included Professor Christopher Gunn of Coastal Carolina University and Lale Eskicioglu of Carleton University.

While Eskicioglu spoke about the Turkish claim of a small plot of the Brantford Mount Hope Cemetery that is allegedly dedicated to ethnic Turks, Gunn spoke about Secret Armenian Armies in the 1970’s and 1980’s—a topic that clearly diverged from the event’s supposed intent. The lecture focused on the actions of a small minority of Armenians outside of Canada, which contributed nothing to the discussion of Turkey-Canada relations.

Armenian attendees took part in the conference with the intent to give the speakers benefit of the doubt by listening to their presentations. Unfortunately, many pieces of inaccurate information were delivered. Representatives from the group politely questioned the validity of some of the remarks and statements by Gunn and Eskicioglu. It was later confirmed by Gunn that multiple points of his presentation were mere inferences, with no tangible evidence to support his claims.

“Carleton University, being one of the most prestigious universities in a country that strongly upholds human rights, justice, and democratic values, should not so willingly allow for such groups to stage events on its campus. In general, a university should be devoid of any affiliation to politically motivated agendas,” said Harout Kassabian, AYF Canada Chair.

Most of the ideas and opinions that were voiced during the panel clearly had underlying motives to create a false narrative in the attendees minds about the Armenian’s during the 20th century. The group was disappointed to learn that lecturers and attendees used the phrase “events of 1915” to refer to the Armenian Genocide; a common tactic by genocide deniers.

Sevag Belian of the Armenian Youth Federation questioned Gunn about the title of his latest publication “Getting Away with Murder: Soghomon Tehlirian, ASALA, and the Justice Commandos, 1921-1984.”

“What is your opinion of the Turkish government getting away with the murder of 1.5 million Armenians during the Armenian Genocide? Do you think there should be justice for that?” asked Belian.

After Gunn stated he is not an expert in the field and believes in having an impartial approach towards the issue, a member of the group stressed the unacceptable nature of his approach.

“The use of the term ‘events of 1915’ is commonly used by genocide deniers. The fact that this term keeps being used makes us question the impartiality and academic integrity of this conference. We do not see a beneficial purpose to continue being a part of this event.”

After the activists left the conference room in a mass walk-out, the group went on to the major intersections in downtown Ottawa to pass out flyers to the general public regarding Turkey’s human rights record, its denial of the Armenian Genocide, and why they should not be trusted as a NATO ally.

“Turkey has one the highest number of jailed journalists in the world and uses excessive force to silence protestors and other dissenters of the country, yet they are still regarded as Canadian allies. Furthermore, NATO has yet to speak out against Turkey’s human rights violations,” said Belian.

The Armenian Youth Federation condemns that an event with the intention to spread inaccurate and divisive speech took place at the university, and demands that Carleton University formally apologizes for this oversight.

Founded in 1934, the Armenian Youth Federation of Canada is the largest and most influential Armenian-Canadian youth organization, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness among Armenian-Canadian youth.