Turkey protests Assyrian ‘genocide’ monument

The monument was proposed by Australian Ninos Khoshaba, a member of Parliament, and the Fairfield City Council will vote on the monument on Dec. 15. The monument would honor the Assyrian victims of the so-called genocide that supposedly happened between 1915 and 1918, during World War I, when the Turkish government allegedly systematically killed a large number of Assyrians. According to the allegations, approximately 750,000 Assyrians, or approximately 75 percent of the Assyrian population in the former Ottoman Empire, were killed.

Turkey’s consul general in Sydney, Renan Şekeroğlu, expressed opposition to the erection of the monument and denied that there was an Assyrian genocide during World War I. Şekeroğlu conceded that there were “tragedies” on “both” sides [Turkey and Assyrians] during that period. Şekeroğlu said, “I am afraid that if such proposals are realized, then it will create a climate of hostility and that it will also contradict the environment of the historically friendly relations between Turkey and Australia.” He said he will lodge a complaint concerning the proposed “genocide” monument with the Fairfield City Council.

A spokesman for the council said the council is “... taking into consideration all angles before making a decision on the 4.5-meter sculpture that looks like a hand holding up the globe,” AINA reported.