AFFIRMS SUPPORT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
WEB EXTRA
By Tom Duggan – August 21, 2007
State Representative and Congressional Candidate Barry Finegold condemned the national Anti-Defamation League’s firing of its New England regional director Andrew H. Tarsy. Tarsy was fired by the national ADL for his advocacy on behalf of Armenian genocide recognition.
“Barry believes that censoring an advocate for Armenian genocide recognition only allows the atrocities of 1915 to live on,” said Finegold spokeswoman Nairi Tashjian. “This cannot go overlooked. Barry appreciates the concerns that the ADL has for Jews living in Turkey and for the preservation of a strong relationship between Israel and Turkey, but what’s right is right.”
“This latest chapter of genocide denial is outrageous and must not be tolerated,” said Tashjian. “The national leadership of the ADL has to see the hypocrisy of their position on the Armenian genocide and it must not be allowed to stand.”
Finegold has been a longtime supporter of the Armenian community and recognition of the Armenian genocide. Additionally, he has been a strong advocate on Beacon Hill on behalf of the victims of the current genocide in Darfur, particularly as he has pushed for Massachusetts’ divestment from the Sudan.
“How we view and characterize the past shapes our present and our future,” said Finegold. “We have to recognize the Armenian genocide now, and enforce our mantra of ‘Never Again’ now in Darfur. Intellectual dishonesty, like that we have seen from the national leadership of the ADL, cannot and will not be tolerated. The Jewish community understands this plight better than anyone else. And we stand with the Armenians.”
From 1915 to 1923, more than 1.5 million Armenians were systematically massacred by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish government continues its longstanding denial of the first genocide of the 21st century.