SYDNEY: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) and the Armenian-Australian community joined the Assyrian and Hellenic communities in condemning the vandalism of the recently erected monument dedicated to the victims of the Assyrian Genocide.
The monument, which stands in memory of the 750,000 Assyrians who perished at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government, was discovered to be vandalised by Fairfield Area Police.
The vandals had painted a Turkish crescent and star on the monument's globe, which sits on a pedestal resembling a hand, as well as spray painted the words: "fuck Assyrian dogs" and "fuck Assyria" on the left and forward sides of the base of the monument.
The plaque at the front of the monument was also removed.
Unveiled only last month, the monument remains at the centre of controversy after receiving continued widespread criticism from Turkish genocide deniers who claim that the historical truth of the Assyrian Genocide is contestable. Led by the Turkish government, genocide deniers in Australia remain vocal in their disapproval of the monument's erection and unveiling.
Commenting on the vandalism of monument, ANC Australia Executive Director Varant Meguerditchian said: "The defacement of the Assyrian Genocide monument is a modern day manifestation of the hatred that was the root cause of the Assyrian Genocide."
He continued: "We encourage our elected officials to condemn this hate crime and appeal to our law enforcement authorities to spare no effort in bringing these xenophobic criminal vandals to justice."
The Assyrian Genocide saw the mass destruction of the Assyrian population of the Ottoman Empire. The Assyrian population of northern Mesopotamia (present-day southeastern Turkey and northwestern Iran) was forcibly relocated and massacred by Ottoman forces between 1914 and 1920. As many as 750,000 Assyrian men, women and children were killed during the genocide.
