105th Anniversary of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus
May 19th – The Rememberance day for the Genocide of the Pontiac Greeks. A Sacred Day of Remembrance, for our 353,000 genocided ancestors. A Day of Honour, for the heroic guerrillas who fought against the raging in the mountains of Pontus, defending the right to live, their dignity and freedom. A Rememberance Day for the course of our breed over the last 105 years. From refuge to social and political advancement, from the “Turcosporus” to the “trandhellena”. A day of responsibility for all of us, the descendants of those who did not succeed in genociding the Ottoman and after that the Kemalist regime. The responsibility, to give the moral and historical justice. It is our duty to bequeath a society free from the nightmare of another genocide.
This year, our Federation commemorates 3 different anniversaries, each with its distinct value, however closely related to each other. It is the 50th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974. The same aggressor has once again devoured the flesh of Hellenism. The civilised West has allowed a crime to be played out for half a century now, without implementing the more than 500 relevant UN resolutions that would have vindicated the victims and restored peace.
30 years ago, in 1994, the Hellenic Parliament unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus and designating the 19th of May as the Remembrance Day. The contribution of the politician, writer and campaigner Michalis Charalambidis, who passed away just a few days ago, is worth of notice.
Finally, 20 years ago, in 2004, the Pontiac Federation of Greece was founded, after a long period of preparation, under the public’s opinion demand of the Pontiac’s and the hundreds of associations for unified expression and effective representation. Since then it is an active federation, serving its statutory purposes and intervening in current issues concerning Pontiac Hellenism. The main purpose of our Federation is to fight for the International Recognition of the Genocide of the Pontiac Greeks.
In this fight, our historical and strategic allies are the brotherly peoples of Armenia and Assyria. Common is the perpetrator who genocided our ancestors, common and unbearable is the sad course of refugeeism.
We call upon all those who respect humanitarian ideals to join us in the fight for justice for the International Recognition of the Genocide of the Christian peoples of the East, Greeks, Armenians and Assyrians, committed by the Ottoman and then the Kemalist regime. To keep the historical memory alive and to pass it on to new generations, because this is the only way we can face the present and shape the future. So that no other people may experience the horror of another genocide.
REQUEST
FROM TURKEY
Recognize the genocide committed by the Kemalist regime at the beginning of the last century against the Christian populations, the Greeks, Armenians and Assyrians, who are the indigenous population of the region, all of whom flourished for millennia in the territories of modern Turkey
Stop persecuting the free-thinking citizens of modern Turkey who are fighting for the restoration of historical truth
Stop immediately the policy of “persona non grata” for those who visit Pontus as ancestral homeland and lift all the bans it has imposed so far
Restore the monuments of Greek culture, show the required respect and restore the use of those that are being encroached upon, such as Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, Hagia Sophia in Trebizond and Panagia Soumela
Establish Monuments and Centres for the Study of the Genocide in the region of Pontus, which will serve as a teaching tool for new generations, with the aim of achieving effective reconciliation between peoples
To stop the aggressive policy against neighbouring countries
FROM THE GREEK GOVERNMENT
To take a diplomatic initiative and bring the issue of the genocide of the Christian communities of the East by the Ottoman and Kemalist hordes to international forums and organizations
Recognise the Assyrian Genocide, which completes the triad of genocides by the same perpetrator, the Kemalist regime, for the same reasons, in the same place and at the same time
Organize educational programs in primary and secondary schools on the crime of genocide
To complete the Museums of Refugee Hellenism which they have announced in Athens and Thessaloniki and to establish a Museum and Centre for the Study of the Genocide of the Greeks of the East
FROM THE POLITICAL, ACADEMIC AND ARTISTIC WORLD OF THE COUNTRY
To support, in every possible way, the battle for the International Recognition of the Genocide, mobilising the forces of humanism worldwide.
We call upon all Greeks, all those who respect humanitarian ideals, to join the fight for justice for the international recognition of the Genocide committed by the Kemalist regime against the Christian peoples of the Ottoman Empire, Greeks, Armenians and Assyrians.
Statement of the Coordinating Committee of Youth
The articles 1 and 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of the UN (9/12/1948) define GENOCIDE as any of the following acts, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
Killing members of the group
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
The brutality experienced by our forefathers, at the beginning of the 20th century in the land of Pontus, unfortunately, fully integrates into this Convention because not one, but all of the criminal acts of genocide have been applied to them.
Today, 105 years after the genocide of the Greeks of Pontus the descendants of the victims are still here. The attempts to exterminate the Greeks failed. For this reason, we try to raise awareness among the international community, so that all forms of violence and brutal acts against humanity will be eliminated. We constantly fight for the International Recognition of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus and support the descendants of all the peoples who have suffered genocide, so that our voices will be heard and every parliament, head of state and citizen of the modern world will become aware. As the Youth of the Pan-Pontian Federation of Greece, we condemn every act of war, every illegal invasion and every act which targets innocent citizens. It is our duty to fight against these atrocities, so that humanity never faces such dark times ever again.
ATHENS
Monday, May 13th – Sunday, May 19th
Constitution Square
Information booths of the Pontiac Youth Union of Attica, in cooperation with the Youth Coordination Committee of the P.F.G, where the history and culture of the Greeks of Pontos and their tragic end will be presented through audiovisual and printed media.
Sunday, May 19th
Syntagma Square
Central event of remembrance
11:00 Memorial service for the victims of the Genocide of the Pontian Hellenism at the University Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (Kapnikarea) – Speech by the President of the P.F.G., Mr. Georgios Varythymiadis
12:00 Official change of the Presidential Guard at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, with Evzoni dressed in the costume of the Pontian guerrilla.
– Memorial service for the victims of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus
– Greeting by the President of the P.F.G., Mr. Georgios Varythymiadis
– Greetings from representatives of institutions
– Speech by Dr Klearchos Kyriakides, Senior Visiting Fellow of English Law and Legal Practice School of Law, UCLan Cyprus
12:45 Laying of wreaths at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier
13:00 March to the Turkish Embassy and presentation of the Resolution
Saturday May 18th
Memorial of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus “Pyrichio Petagma” – Piraeus
20:00 The Association of Pontian Associations of Southern Greece & Islands of the Confederation of Greece, in cooperation with the Municipality of Piraeus, organize a musical – narrative Event of Honor & Memory to the unfortunate Greeks of Pontos, our Genocided ancestors, in texts, artistic curation and direction of Ilias Yfantidis
THESSALONIKI
Monday, May 13th – Saturday, May 18th
Aristotelous Square
Information booths of the Youth Coordination Committee of the P.F.G. where the history and culture of the Greeks of Pontus and their tragic end will be presented through audiovisual and printed media
Saturday, May 18th
Aristotelous Square
20:30 Musical and narrative tribute at the information stand of the Coordinating Committee of Youth of the P.F.G.. It will be broadcasted by Livemedia, at the same time as the event to be held by the Federation at the “Pyrichio Petagma” in Piraeus
“May 19 dawns”
Port of Thessaloniki
23:00 Youth gathering and lantern raising for the 353,000 souls
Sunday 19 May
Aghia Sophia Square
Central event of remembrance
18:30 Memorial Service for the victims of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus, at the Genocide Memorial of the Municipality of Thessaloniki
Laying of Wreaths
19:00 Greetings
19:20 Speech by Dr. Christos Clerides, President of the Law Department at “Frederick” University
20:15 Protest march to the Turkish Consulate and presentation of a Resolution
– Daily, at the information stands in Athens and Thessaloniki, there will be events dedicated to the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus