Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Turkish Responses to the Conference in Germany: Taner Akcam and other Turks Main Targets
by Armenian Genocide Resource Center of Northern California (AGRC)
Posted: Tuesday, April 03, 2001 03:27 am CST

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Genocide Resource Center of Northern California (AGRC) 5400 McBryde Avenue
Richmond, California 94805
Tel: (510) 965-0152
fax: (510) 215-0444
Email: AGRC@jps.net

Friday, March 30, 2001

Mülheim, Germany, March. 30. - Under the theme "The Heavy Burden of History: An Attempt at Armenian-Turkish Dialogue" a conference was convened in Mülheim, Germany March 23-25, 2001. The sponsors were the German-Armenian Association, The German-Turkish Union for Humanistic and Social Science Exchanges, and the Protestant Academy at Mülheim on the Ruhr. Nearly 150 people attended the conference.

Papers or responses to papers were delivered by the following specialists: Halil Berktay, Aram Arkun, Richard Hovannisian, Fikret Adanir, Lorna Touryan Miller, Taner Akcam, Ridvan Akar, Otto Luchterhand, Hakop Tschakerian, Kaan Soyak. The discussions and debates were fruitful and productive.

The specific themes and main topics of the ensuing debates are in themselves subjects that deserve a separate description. Most important however, was the reaction of the state authorities representing the Republic of Turkey. It is evident now that while the two representatives of the Ankara government, both involved in directing and controlling future "dialogues" with Armenians, while moderate and subdued throughout the conference, surreptitiously organized, however, a vicious campaign against the same conference.

This was revealed by German police authorities. In their disclosure, they stated "We have concrete intelligence that the campaign launched against the conference was entirely organized from Ankara." As a result, a conference of limited scope and participation was magnified in significance, putting on the spot the Turkish community in Germany.

Vicious Diatribes of the Turkish Press in Germany

Several days before the conference an intense propaganda campaign was set in motion that peaked when the German edition of Hürriyet, a Turkish daily with a large circulation, in its headline story "The Dialogue Trap" denounced the conference saying that the dialogue was a ruse to create support for Armenian theses and claims in which Taner Akçam played a major role. Other bold headlines soon followed, such as "The Region's Turks Are Troubled," and "A Wicked Gathering in Germany," all apparently aimed at inciting Turks.

The purpose of these provocative headlines was to inflame Turks against the participants and organizers of the conference. The Hürriyet, on succeeding days, through numerous headlines and sidebars, continued its vitriolic attacks on the conference and intensified its aggressive campaign to incite Turks. In fact, some observers believe it organized and directed the demonstrations using such catchwords as "The Lackeys of the Armenians," "The Enemies of the Turks," and "Traitors!"- all printed in bold headlines.

At the Ulucami mosque in Mülheim an exhibition was installed that displayed images of Turks "Massacred by the Armenians" that was made to coincide with the start of the conference. On the opening day a group of fifty Turks staged a demonstration in front of the conference building carrying black colored wreaths and pictures of Turkish diplomats slain by the ASALA avengers. Other Turks kept vigil throughout the duration of the conference. To deflect attention from the conference and draw people to these exhibits first, the Hürriyet's headlines blared "Visit this Exhibition Too," "See This Exhibition First," "The Maras Massacre by Armenian Brigands," "The Protest Walk," "Respond to the Wicked Conference!"

On March 24, a headline read, "After The Kurdish Trick Now It is The Armenian Plot that is Poisoning The Atmosphere in Germany Targeting the Turks." Under the banner "We Are On the Watch," the newspaper filled nearly four pages with stories and pictures of the conference. It claimed that the streets of Mülheim were filled with posters prepared by the Turks. One poster portrayed two new-born infants, representing an Armenian and a Turk, tied together at the arms with the caption, "Fragile, Handle with Care."

On March 25, one headline blared "Frightening," with the subtitle "At the Armenian Dialogue Gathering Turkey was Sentenced and Executed." In a companion column the photo of Turkish professor Elçin Kürsat Ahler, of the University of Hannover, appeared with the caption "Turkey is being stabbed by one of Turkish origin." The editor-in-chief of the paper in his editorial "Playing with Fire," attacked both Ahler and Akcam with nauseating invectives ending with the threat, "Don't! Otherwise your hand may get burned." The next day, March 26, the press attacks against Prof. Kürsat continued and again included her photo. These assaults against Kürsat, Akcam, and other participants also appeared in other Turkish newspapers. The organ of the militantly nationalistic Gray Wolves, Türkiye on Monday, March 26, used the dual headlines, "They Vomited Vengeance," "They Really Went Mad" (Kudurdular), at the same time issuing the proclamation of the Association of Nationalist Turks.

In it Armenians were warned with such threats as "We are afraid that all these modes of behavior may make the Armenians more miserable… Turkey belongs to the Turkish nation; it became so at a price that it is impossible for you to repay us for… draw lessons from the past!"

The Ankara Officials

Parallel with this campaign of terror and intimidation, the Turkish Republic's state authority showed great interest as it participated in the conference at a high level. Among the attendees were Dr. Umit Ozdag, Chairman of the Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies (ASAM), and Omer Lutem, the head of the Foundation For Armenian Research, that is affiliated with ASAM. In addition, Ankara had a group of 5-6 operatives who directed the outside demonstrations with whose participants they were in constant touch. The Association of Ataturkist Ideals secured for this group a table through which they were able to propagate and sell their pamphlets. Members of this group systematically and constantly interrupted the debates to articulate Turkish viewpoints. Their main charge was: "This is a monologue, not a dialogue. Nobody in a position to defend the views of the Turkish state was invited to deliver a paper.

This is not an objective approach. The Turks are being adjudged one-sidedly." This mantra was repeated again and again after every presentation. At the end of the conference ambassador emeritus Omer Lutem was invited to offer his comments. In a lengthy speech he repeated the above argument, adding that the real dialogue will be organized by his own organization. In this connection, he mentioned two projected symposiums, one to take place in April and the other in November to which scholars from Armenia will be invited. The spirit he conveyed was quite consistent with the tradition of Turkish state policy: "if there is a need in this country for a dialogue, then it is the Turkish state that should direct it." Apparently he was unhappy that citizens are empowering themselves and participating in such events without the Turkish government's permission or foreknowledge, even if it was in Germany.

German Police Protection

As a result of the propaganda campaign launched by Hürriyet, German police authorities implemented protective measures within the conference building. Some Turkish historians were given personal protection.

An alarming event did in fact occur on the last day of the conference when some 10-12 Turks, clearly identified as MHP goons (Gray Wolves),raided the conference building. Police quickly surrounded the group, and with the help of members of the Association of Ataturkist Ideals, the Turks were evicted from the building.

Everyone could hear members of the AAI shouting to the intruders "What are you doing?" "You can't do such things here." "We barely secured permission for you to keep a table for your publications."

Positive Aspects of the Conference

In spite of all this one should not conclude that the conference proved useless. Despite the campaign of terror that filled the air the conference yielded very good results. Important debates took place attended by some very emotional moments. Some of the Turkish participants openly declared "I beg forgiveness from the Armenians… on account of the crimes perpetrated against them." In his closing speech Ragip Zarakolu, publisher of books dealing with the Armenian Genocide, and a prominent human rights activist in Turkey,declared:

"Nobody should regard the people who organized these offensive campaigns as Turks. They do not represent the Turkish human being. In fact, we are the real Turkish patriots, and we shall not permit them to again stain our name, as had been done in history. We shall do everything possible to retrieve and restore Armenian history and culture that was wiped out from Anatolia."

For her part, Prof. Kürsat declared,"These assaults show that I will have to work harder on this path of mine." And finally, Hadi Ulueng, another Hürriyet columnist, in praising the conference wrote "Animals befriend each other by smelling each other, human beings by talking to each other…"

It is worth pondering why the Turkish state is engaged in such a two-track treatment of the Armeno-Turkish dialogue, displaying on the one hand a measure of civility ostensibly supporting it and on the other hand vandalizing it through a campaign of terror.

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