The Peoples’ United Revolutionary Movement (HBDH) Executive Committee made a written statement on the anniversary of the Armenian genocide, saying: “24 April 1915 is the beginning date of the genocide against our Armenian people. More than 109 years have passed since the crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman rulers, the Committee of Union and Progress. The genocide, with all its consequences and destruction, and the suffering of our Armenian people is still as fresh as the first day.”
The statement continued: “One and a half million of our Armenian people were massacred with bullets, bayonets, hunger and thirst by the Committee of Union and Progress in order to strengthen their power. Not even a gravestone was left behind from those massacred. Those who survived the genocide were scattered all over the world like pomegranate seeds. They were subjected to a life in exile far from their own lands.
The genocide was not limited to physical massacres: all the material accumulations of the Armenian people were confiscated and presented as a source for the capital accumulation of the new Turkish national bourgeoisie. Genocide practices were expanded by aiming to destroy the entire historical-cultural heritage of the Armenian people. The genocide policy fuelled Armenian enmity among the peoples of Turkey and Kurdistan by using Turkishness and Islam. As an official state policy, an official ideology based on one religion, one language and one sect was built. All state facilities were used to create a racist culture and ideology in society through schools, mosques, the media and press in accordance with the official history.
The fascist Turkish state continued its bloody history of genocide and massacres with crimes against Greeks, Yazidis, Assyrians-Syriacs, Kurds and Alevis. While the genocidal, massacring policy continues as a state policy today on the one hand, another dimension is added to racist attacks by targeting the peoples of Turkey-Kurdistan, as well as Syrian, Afghan, African immigrants on the other hand. With this policy of the fascist state, the honour of the peoples of Turkey also continues to be contaminated with racism.
The peoples of Turkey and Kurdistan, revolutionaries, socialists, patriots, progressives, united after the murder of Hrant Dink, under the slogan ‘We are all Armenians’ and created a great rupture in the racist policies of the fascist state. This mass anger, which reached millions, was also an important step towards confronting the Armenian genocide. However, the fascist Turkish state continues to use racism as an important weapon against the peoples.
On the anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Turkish workers, Turkish laboring women, Turkish youth must take a stand against this crime against humanity committed by the Turkish ruling classes. They must share the suffering of the Armenian people and raise the flag of brotherhood with the Armenian people by declaring an apology.
The revolutionary, socialist, patriotic, progressive forces from Turkey and Kurdistan, organisations and parties, the democratic women’s movement must take a stronger stand in favour of the equality and brotherhood of peoples against the genocidal, racist policy and be its determined defender. They must confront the Armenian genocide. Without real confrontation and self-criticism of this crime committed against the Armenian people, there can be no reckoning with fascism. In this, they must unite their strength under the banner of united revolution against the fascist Turkish state, the fascist AKP / MHP regime, which is the perpetuator of the genocide policy, and raise the struggle.
On this basis, the democratic rights and demands of the Armenian people must be embraced and made the subject of political struggle. The united revolutionary struggle must be raised for the end of oppression, persecution, racist, chauvinist and all kinds of reactionary policies against culture, religion and beliefs, and for the construction of an equal, honourable, free and fraternal life of the peoples.”