SYDNEY: On Sunday April 28th, thousands of Armenian-Australians will participate in the fourth annual #MARCHFORJUSTICE for the Armenian Genocide in Sydney’s Central Business District, with a special focus being Prime Minister Scott Morrison's backflip on Armenian Genocide recognition.
Like the last three years, New South Wales State Parliament representatives will join Armenian-Australians for the march, which will again begin at the Hyde Park Fountain at 2pm, led by a Scout marching band, clergy, community leaders, youth groups, school students and other members of the Sydney Armenian community.
The #MARCHFORJUSTICE unites the Armenian community of Sydney in solidarity as they raise their collective voice to call for justice for the still-unrecognised Armenian Genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey against their ancestors.
The 2018 #MARCHFORJUSTICE was widely reported on in Australian media, including as part of most nightly news broadcasts.
Armenians will be joined by Greek and Assyrian Australians, also descendants of victims of the Genocide which saw over 2 million Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians massacred by the Ottoman Empire in 1915, 103 years ago.
"Most Armenian Australians are descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide. For our community, this is the story of how our community settled in Australia. This is why the Armenians of Sydney will be there in numbers on Sunday - to ensure the Australian government recognises both our present and our past," said Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) Haig Kayserian.
The 2019 March for Justice comes in the wake of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's backflip on Armenian Genocide recognition.
Armenian community leaders refused to read Scott Morrison's letter of condolence to Armenian-Australians at a national commemoration in Sydney on April 24th marking the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide; something that has been widely reported by the Nine Network of newspapers (read
here,
here and
here) and by Alan Jones of 2GB (listen
here) among others.
Scott Morrison, who in 2011 called on the Australian Government to recognise the Armenian Genocide while in opposition, has since
sensationally admitted to The Sydney Morning Herald that Turkish pressure over Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli had influenced the government's position on the Armenian Genocide.
"The Prime Minister's admission only confirms what we've known all along - that the Turkish government has blackmailed our nation's leaders to enforce a veil of silence on the Armenian Genocide by using our nation's Anzac history as a bargaining chip," said Kayserian.
"This Sunday's march will be an opportunity for our community to vote with their feet and send a message to the government - that we will not let a foreign dictator rewrite Australian or Armenian history," Kayserian added.
Buses have been organised from six locations - in Ryde, Willoughby, Chatswood, Smithfield, Wentworthville and Lidcombe.
The March for Justice will be led by the Homenetmen Scouts Marching Band, community leaders and clergy, as well as members from Armenian-Australian youth, relief, sporting, scouting, cultural and political organisations, as well as students of Armenian schools and university associations.
