The number one viewed article-Melbourne

[Slayer]

MP's speech exposes ethnic rifts
Email Print Normal font Large font By Mathew Murphy and Paul Austin
May 16, 2006

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FULL SPEECH Pontian 'genocide'
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AdvertisementA SENIOR state Labor MP has caused uproar in Melbourne's Turkish and Jewish communities and embarrassed Premier Steve Bracks by accusing Turkey of committing a "holocaust" comparable to Adolf Hitler's.

Jenny Mikakos, the parliamentary secretary for justice, has been accused of "hate speech" after telling Parliament: "Unlike Germany, which has taken responsibility for the Jewish holocaust, Turkey has never apologised to its victims."

Ms Mikakos, who is of Greek heritage, told the upper house: "On May 19 the Pontian community in Victoria and around the world will commemorate the 87th anniversary of the Pontian genocide that occurred in present-day Turkey.

"Between 1916 and 1923, over 353,000 Pontic Greeks living in Asia Minor and in Pontus, which is near the Black Sea, died as a result of the 20th century's first but less-known genocide. Over a million Pontic Greeks were forced into exile. In the preceding years, 1.5 million Armenians and 750,000 Assyrians in various parts of Turkey also perished."

As two Labor MPs from Turkish backgrounds, John Eren and Adem Somyurek, called on her to sit down, Ms Mikakos, the member for the northern suburban electorate of Jika Jika, continued: "The Turkish Government must begin the reconciliation process by acknowledging these crimes against humanity. The suffering of the victims of the Pontian genocide cannot and will not be forgotten."

Labor MP Michael Leighton has written to Mr Bracks urging him to ask Ms Mikakos to "cool it".

"I find the various references to the Holocaust deeply offensive," Mr Leighton writes. "As the son of a Holocaust survivor, that is why I have no relatives on my father's side."

Alison Crosweller, a spokeswoman for Mr Bracks, last night confirmed the Premier had spoken to Ms Mikakos but would not disclose whether he had asked her to apologise or stop making such comments. "It is a matter for her. She is expressing her views of something that happened 87 years ago," Ms Crosweller said.

The Age believes Mr Bracks is concerned that the speech may stir up race-based tension in the lead-up to the November state election.

The secretary of the ALP's Coolaroo branch, Kazim Ates, has written to Mr Bracks accusing Ms Mikakos of "a cynical exploitation of the anti-Muslim sentiment that currently prevails in the Western world due to the threat of terrorism".

In his letter, obtained by The Age, Mr Ates writes: "Ms Mikakos' speech racially vilifies the Turkish community and incites inter-ethnic hatred between the various ethnic communities that reside cohesively and peacefully as Victorians in our culturally diverse state. The Bracks Labor Government and the ALP have been promoting racial and religious harmony."

Mr Ates demands that "Ms Mikakos should unreservedly apologise to the Turkish community for this act of vilification. Failing that, she should be removed as parliamentary secretary immediately."

Ms Mikakos, who said last night her speech spoke for itself, told Parliament: "The Pontic people lived in Asia Minor and in Pontus from ancient times. When the Turkish nationalists took power after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, a deliberate policy of creating 'Turkey for the Turks' was adopted, essentially to rid Turkey of its Pontian, Armenian and Assyrian Christians.

"The process began with Christian businesses being boycotted, leading to bankruptcies and property being confiscated. Eventually, intellectuals and community leaders were rounded up and executed; women were raped and enslaved. Most victims died from exhaustion or dehydration on forced marches or work in the so-called labour battalions."

The president of the Council of Turkish Associations of Victoria, Erkal Eken, has written to Mr Bracks urging him to dissociate the ALP from the "inter-ethnic hate speech".

"All the Turkish community sees that she has to apologise," Mr Eken told The Age last night.

In an email to Labor MPs about what she describes as the "hysterical" response to her speech, Ms Mikakos writes: "Some Australians are mature enough to consider an apology to the Aborigines for the crimes of the past is an appropriate way of fostering reconciliation … That is all I was asking for."

She called on the Turkish Government to acknowledge that the events took place.

"Adolf Hitler is on record as justifying the Jewish Holocaust on the basis that no one cared about the Armenian genocide in the 1940s," she writes.


This is the number one viewed article in the Age, melbourne newspaper today!
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...e#contentSwap1

[PhiliptheUniterchaeronea]

WOW!!! She has guts. Way to go Jenny! She really hit the nail on them. Now I hope she hasn't ruined her political career. Who knows, maybe this will catapult it more, lets see what her boss down under says.

Recently, the Turkish governemt has asked Canada not to acknowledge the genocide. Instead they proposed an academic inquiry by people of both sides. Sounds like some political hand job.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../?query=turkey

[Orphic_Hymn]

I wouldn't say guts, I'd say that she's just speaking common sence, the very common sence our politicians back here in Hellas unfortunately lack...

What I don't get, is the audacity of some Jews. I imagine that is part of the ethnic background of this Michael Leighton dude.. Since when is the use of the term holocaust a Jewish prerogative, that makes it offensive when someone else dares to use it ???

As for that Erkal Eken, someone should brake the news to him, that Christian club and anti-muslim sentiment used as an alleged argument is very well outdated and simply indicates their lack of arguments and rather a total disrespect to what their past goverment has undoubtably commited against its minorities..

[Tsontos]

Well done for disgracing your ancestors, Jews.

Jewish lobby have done more to deny the armenian genocide than any Turk could ever do in his wildest dream

[Slayer]

At least the best thing to come out of this was it received wide coverage in the Melbourne press (I hope the Sydney press picks up on this) and has made alot more of the Australian public aware of the GENOCIDE!

[Amarantos]

While i was reading the article on Jenny Mikakos Pontian genocide speech,i remembered an other lady(not very famous in Greece),that a friend introduced me.He admires her for her voice.I was left positively surprised by the themes she deals with in her music.Her name is Diamanda Galàs and she is of Greek origins,raised in the states.
So,here you are...
"Internationally acclaimed vocalist, pianist, composer and poet, Diamanda Galás is currently presenting her latest work "Defixiones, Will and Testament," for solo voice, piano, and tape. The performance is an angry meditation on genocide and the politically cooperative denial of it, in particular the Turkish and American denial of the Armenian, Assyrian, and Anatolian Greek genocides from 1914 to 1923."
http://www.diamandagalas.com/defixiones/index.htm

[Makedonia25]

Originally Posted by Orphic_Hymn

I wouldn't say guts, I'd say that she's just speaking common sence, the very common sence our politicians back here in Hellas unfortunately lack...

What I don't get, is the audacity of some Jews. I imagine that is part of the ethnic background of this Michael Leighton dude.. Since when is the use of the term holocaust a Jewish prerogative, that makes it offensive when someone else dares to use it ???

As for that Erkal Eken, someone should brake the news to him, that Christian club and anti-muslim sentiment used as an alleged argument is very well outdated and simply indicates their lack of arguments and rather a total disrespect to what their past goverment has undoubtably commited against its minorities..

+1 :thumbs: