A reenactment of an eastern Black Sea town’s rescue from foreign occupiers almost a century ago, complete with gun-wielding children and mock-crucifixions of Turks by Armenians, has drawn criticism from Armenian figures and opposition parties.
The town of Bayburt was occupied by Russians, allegedly working together with Armenians, during World War I. The town celebrated the 93rd anniversary of its “rescue day from the enemy occupation” with a vivid reenactment of the historical events.
“Turkey says it wants peace and dialogue with its neighbors. Is this the way to build up dialogue, by poisoning the young generations?” Armenian academic Haygazun Alvrstyan, a professor at the Center for Armenian Studies at Yerevan State University, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Tuesday.
“When I saw the story [about the reenactment], I said one word to myself: ‘pity.’ That is all,” said journalist Etyen Mahçupyan, a Turkish citizen of Armenian origin.
Sezgin Tanrıkulu, the deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, responsible for human-rights issues, also criticized the events in Bayburt. “It is shameful for Turkey that hate speech is practiced on children in such a way,” he told the Daily News on Tuesday.
The anniversary ceremony was held on Bayburt’s Cumhuriyet Street and was attended by Bayburt Gov. Kerem Al; Mayor Hacı Ali Polat; parliamentarians from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP; and Col. Faruk Kayadelen, commander of the military post in Bayburt. During the ceremony, local people, including children, acted out the invasion of the town by their enemies.
Polat said the reenactment was done in order to record history and not forget the past.
“Our national memory should not be lost and the misfortunes lived in these lands 93 years ago should not ever be forgotten by the new generations,” the mayor said. “We should have big ideals, just as the [other] states raised their generations with the idea of having a big Armenia, with oriental dreams and with the dream of spreading into the warm seas. We must not forget what we went through in our history.”
Last year’s “rescue day” performance saw real animal blood used on the faces of the local people playing the Armenians in order to show their cruelty.
‘Have your funeral in Bayburt’
“We have to develop Bayburt and bring it to a good condition,” Mayor Polat said. “We keep saying both inside and outside, ‘Invest in this town.’ Get a house in Bayburt for vacation, for instance. If there is nothing else you can do in order to invest [here], at least have your funerals in Bayburt so that you can have a connection with this town.”
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
ISTANBUL – Daily News with wires
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