here it is
“Torchlight procession of the youth dedicated to the 88 anniversary of the Genocide of the Armenians in the Osman Empire was held yesterday evening in Yerevan. The emphatic procession spread along the streets of the downtown. Members of the youth wing of ARFD (Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun) burned up publicly the Turkish flag at the Matenadaran (depository of ancient manuscripts – M. D.) and with torches lit by its fire made for the Tsiternakaberd” (site of the monument dedicated to the Armenian Genocide). This is the signature below the photo in the front page of the Russian-language newspaper “Novoje Vremja” (editor Ruben Satyan) on April 24, 2003 with 5 000 printing copies in Yerevan. The author of the signature below the photo lied – the flag is not Turkish. The star of David is related neither to the present-day Turkey nor the Osman Empire, where more that 1,5 million Armenians were massacred. The text, in its turn, is full of the sense of dignity for this sort of “youth”, whose actions can be compared with torchlight processions of the Nazis. And this happens for the second year in a row.
According to the Chairman of the Armenian Jewish Community, Rima Varjapetyan-Feller, an unknown person drew swastika on the door-plate of the Community office situated right in the Center of Yerevan. Swastika was also drawn on the memorial stone dedicated the victims of the Holocaust. But this time vandals weren't satisfied with swastika only. In 1999, just three weeks after the official opening of the monument, the stone was stolen. The case didn't receive publicity and fairly soon a new stone was put instead. The initiation of a criminal case produced no results. In 2002 the stone was taken off while 12 trees, which surrounded it as a symbol of 12 Israeli descents were chopped down. This time the customers and the executors – Yerevan city hall and the owner of just another restaurant opened on the site of the memorial, are known, but, of course, not punished. During the meeting of R. Varjapetyan-Feller with the general city architect the latter insisted that this was not a political action but a «commonplace casus». Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vardan Voskanyan, commented on the incident as neither anti-Semitism, nor vandalism, but mere negligence. By the way, this comment coincides with that of the adviser to President on National Minorities and NGO-s issues, Razmik Davoyan, who said: “This procession conducted by the youth shouldn’t be perceived as a manifestation of anti-Jewish sentiment, but simply as illiteracy”. Well, young people – illiterate people, but hadn’t been their senior comrades informed in advance about the upcoming Sabbath? Sure they had. Moreover, they sanctioned this “undertaking” for we shouldn’t forget that the national-socialist party ARFD is presently one of the two ruling parties in Armenia.
In February the presentation of a book entitled “National Systems” written by Romen Episkoposyan was held. The chapter 8.6 of it entitled “Killer Nation” begins with the following words: “There are two nations in the present-day world, which bear evil in the most concentrated and aggressive way. These are the Jews – nation of demolition with a mission to demolish and decompose, and the Turks – killer nation with a mission to destroy and suppress (page 127). The teachers who were present at the gathering are satisfied: “Finally there is a book we can make use of to bring up younger generations”.
Now it is neither “negligence” nor “illiteracy”. It is already a rise of ideology.
Mikael Danielyan
