Instead of this blatant denial it could have tried to create an inspiring model for Turkey by recognizing the atrocities it committed in the past. It denies this massacre just as the Turks deny Armenian genocide. Nationalists, no matter from what nation, show similar reactions to past atrocities committed by their state. The genocide or massacres committed by their state is not genocide. They were fighting against something; they had legitimate aims and so on.
Nationalists and racists also commemorate massacres of the people who they associate themselves with in exactly the same manner all over the world. In their reactions you can clearly see hatred towards other nations rather than sorrow for the victims who were killed and massacred.
Turkish nationalists on Sunday gathered to “remember” the Khojaly massacre. But unfortunately their commemoration turned into a racist attack against Armenians in Turkey and abroad.
This Tuesday, the Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul branch brought a complaint against this racist hate speech during these demonstrations on Sunday.
I fully support İHD in its struggle against hate speech and call on officials to make a fair and in depth investigation into racism and some demonstrations. Here I would like to share with you, İHD’s petition to the prosecutor:
“1. On Feb. 26, 2012 in İstanbul’s Taksim, a rally was held to protest the events known as Khojaly Massacre in Azerbaijan 20 years ago. The speeches delivered at the said rally, the slogans chanted there and the placards carried featured remarks and sentiments that would humiliate other people who have suffered extensively and attack their ethnic identity rather than remembering the pains of the Azeri people.
2. Photos of some of the placards at the rally were publicized. Examples of placards that instigated hatred and thus constituted a crime include: ‘You all are Armenians; you all are sons of bitches,’ ‘You are Armenian, you are murderers and you are invaders’ and ‘Those who wish death for a Turk shall meet a horrible end.’ The slogans chanted included: ‘Murderer Armenians,’ ‘Hrant’s sons of bitches will not scare us,’ ‘Grey Wolf Ogün, Grey Wolf Çatlı.’ This shows that the placards carried and the slogans changed constitute crimes of hatred. In addition, by these placards, the offense of ‘inciting people towards hatred and enmity,’ as defined in Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code [TCK], was committed.
The destruction and violence out of similar emotions and sentiments in our near past are still fresh in our memories. Under these circumstances, the slogans chanted by the crowd at the rally and the revengeful, hostile and aggressive content of the placards as well as reports indicating that the demonstrators attempted to march towards the Agos daily, where Hrant Dink, the founder and editor-in-chief of this daily, was murdered, raised fear among Armenians across Turkey, particularly in İstanbul, and made them feel insecure about their presence and stay. To this end, our association received a number of complaints expressing such state of fear and intimidation. It is the organizing committee -- which did not take any measures against these placards and slogans targeting all Armenians and the Armenian identity as a whole in the fliers and did not work to prevent such discourses from taking place nor took any action when such events took place -- that is the responsible party.
3. One of the participants at the rally as a speaker was Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin. In his speech, the minister relied on statements that offended Armenian people and instigated hatred and discrimination among the people against Armenians. In his speech, İdris Naim Şahin said: ‘Twenty years ago on this day, blood-thirsty murderers, merciless, heartless and covert aggressors claimed the blood of 603 people in Khojaly. That day, blood was spilled, but the case is not over. As long as the Turkish nation stays alive that blood will be answered for.’ This is only an excerpt from the speech made by İdris Naim Şahin. His entire speech includes similar remarks. With this speech, he encouraged the crowd and their violent and aggressive slogans. This is not a speech of an interior minister of a country that hosts a number of different ethnic and religious identities and has a lot of historical issues to deal with. We find this speech dangerous and discriminatory. For this reason, we have decided to file a criminal complaint.
Conclusion and request: For the reasons we have referred to above, we, defenders of human rights, respectfully request the initiation of an investigation into the organizing committee for the slogans chanted at the rally, the placards carried at the same event and the speeches made, as well as an investigation into İdris Naim Şahin for the content of the speech he delivered at the same rally under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code.”
