Second Hellenic Genocide Commemoration outside the UN on April 6, 2010
For Immediate Release: April 8, 2010
Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, Tel. 1-(917)-699-9935
New York, NY- On April 6, 2010 The Pan-Thracian Union of America “ORPHEUS” in cooperation with the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York remembered the Hellenic Genocide in Thrace and all victims of the Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide perpetrated by Turkey. This year’s event marks the second year in a row that community activists and leaders gathered at Ralph J Bunche Park outside the United Nations in New York for the commemoration of Hellenic Genocide in Thrace, Asia Minor and Pontos.
Organizers of the event Ioannis Fidanakis, and Nikolaos Taneris were assisted by board members of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, Mr. Christos Orfanakos and Mr. Ioannis Goros in setting up placards with reproductions of American newspaper accounts of the Hellenic Genocide, and poster boards of Genocide perpetrators “ENVER” PASHA and Mustafa Kemal. The educational pamphlet “The Genocide of Greeks: A Case Study of the Region of Thrace” by Theofanis Malkidis was distributed to a diverse group of people attending which at one point included scores of local elementary school students. This year a giant ceremonial funereal wreath of flowers was propped up by the podium, alongside a sign that read “GREEK GENOCIDE PERPETRATED BY TURKEY 1914-1923” (Please view links to articles below for pictures)
Master of Ceremonies and current President of the Pan Thracian Union of America “Orpheus” Nikolaos Taneris addressed the crowd and acknowledged the activists in attendance and those honored attendees seated by the speaker’s podium for dedication to Genocide awareness over the years. Mr. Bill Theo was a notable of attendance; Mr. Theo has been organizing a Greek Genocide Memorial in Three Hierarch’s Church in Brooklyn going back to the 1990s and has lectured around the USA about the Genocide in Smyrna that is commemorated on the days of September 9-22 every year. Taneris encouraged the attendees to speak out and tell their stories to the world, at one point a descendent of Genocide survivors, Mr. Aristides Philip Duval came to the stage and related the story of how his grandfather was hanged by the Turks in Thrace. The event commenced with the recital of the ancient Hellenic hymn “THANATOS” in original Hellenic by Hellenic scholar Georgia Nomikos
Speakers included Mr. Garo Manjikian , the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)-Eastern Region, Mr. Sabri Atman the founder and director of the Assyrian Genocide and Research Center, Mr. Elias Tsekerides a community activist who is currently Deputy President of the International Confederation of Pontian Hellenes and Coordinator of the Greek Independence Day Parade that will take place on April 18th on Fifth Avenue in New York City and President of the Parish Council of Prophet Elias Church of Yonkers, N.Y. Mr. Elias Tsekerides is also Past President of the Pan Pontian Federation of U.S.A. and CANADA, past Parade Chairman and Treasurer of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York and an Active Member of the Order of AHEPA Chapter No. 51, Yonkers, N.Y and very much involved in the Political Arena locally, State wide and Nationally. Mr. Dimitris Molohides the President of the Pan-Pontian Federation USA and CANADA who has lead Pontian Genocide commemorations also spoke and was honored.
This year’s event was covered by influential writer Pamela Geller the editor and publisher of the Atlas Shrugs Web site she is also former associate publisher of the New York Observer. Her Op-Eds have appeared in The Washington Times, Newsmax, Human Events, Big Government, WorldNetDaily, the American Thinker, Israel National News, and other publications. She is the author (with Robert Spencer) of the forthcoming book The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America (Threshold Editions/Simon & Schuster).
Pamela Geller’s article “Another Genocide by Islam: Anniversary remembrance of the Greek Genocide across from the UN” is available here:
http://atlasshrugs2000.
The blogger the “silent” majority no more! also wrote an article with pictures and videos:
http://thesilentmajority.
UNWANTED FLOWERS:
Following the conclusion of the event Mr. Nikolaos Taneris, President of the Pan Thracian Union of America “Orpheus” and Mr. Ioannis Fidanakis, former President and board member of the Pan Thracian Union of America “Orpheus” took the ceremonial funereal wreath for the inncoent victims of the Greek Genocide to the Greek Consulate in New York on 69 E. 79 Street in Manhattan. To our dismay, when the Greek diplomats saw our wreath and the pamphlet “GREEK GENOCIDE IN THRACE: A CASE STUDY” they quickly bowed their heads and scurried away and hid from sight. Not even a thank you, or an acknowledgement was made for the innocent victims of the Greek Genocide by the diplomats or representatives of Greece in New York. Flowers for the innocent victims of the Greek Genocide of 1914-1923, are for the Greek diplomats of New York, Unwanted Flowers.
Mr. Kristis Ciakas has shot a video of the Unwanted Flowers, which may be submitted to short film festivals, and for now is available on you tube, it is titled….Unwanted Flowers.
You Tube Video: Unwanted Flowers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
April 6th has been designated by The World Thracian Congress as the International Remembrance Day for the Greek Genocide in Eastern Thrace (Anatoliki Thraki) , in recent years, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) recognized this genocide stating:"BE IT RESOLVED that it is the conviction of the International Association of Genocide Scholars that the Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities of the Empire between 1914 and 1923 constituted a genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, and Pontian and Anatolian Greeks. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Association calls upon the government of Turkey to acknowledge the genocides against these populations, to issue a formal apology, and to take prompt and meaningful steps toward restitution."
The Greek Newspaper The National Herald ethnikos kirix 8 april 2010 page 1 has a front page picture of our commemoration,see pdf download:
http://thraciangenocide.org/
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