Second Hellenic Genocide Commemoration outside the UN on April 6, 2010

For Immediate Release: April 8, 2010

Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, Tel. 1-(917)-699-9935

New York, NY- On April 6, 2010 The Pan-Thracian Union of America “ORPHEUS” in
cooperation with the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York
remembered the Hellenic Genocide in Thrace and all victims of the Armenian,
Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide perpetrated by Turkey. This year’s event marks
the second year in a row that community activists and leaders gathered at Ralph
J Bunche Park outside the United Nations in New York for the commemoration of
Hellenic Genocide in Thrace, Asia Minor and Pontos.

Organizers of the event Ioannis Fidanakis, and Nikolaos Taneris were assisted by
board members of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, Mr.
Christos Orfanakos and Mr. Ioannis Goros in setting up placards with
reproductions of American newspaper accounts of the Hellenic Genocide, and
poster boards of Genocide perpetrators “ENVER” PASHA and Mustafa Kemal. The
educational pamphlet “The Genocide of Greeks: A Case Study of the Region of
Thrace” by Theofanis Malkidis was distributed to a diverse group of people
attending which at one point included scores of local elementary school
students. This year a giant ceremonial funereal wreath of flowers was propped up
by the podium, alongside a sign that read “GREEK GENOCIDE PERPETRATED BY TURKEY
1914-1923” (Please view links to articles below for pictures)

Master of Ceremonies and current President of the Pan Thracian Union of America
“Orpheus” Nikolaos Taneris addressed the crowd and acknowledged the activists in
attendance and those honored attendees seated by the speaker’s podium for
dedication to Genocide awareness over the years. Mr. Bill Theo was a notable of
attendance; Mr. Theo has been organizing a Greek Genocide Memorial in Three
Hierarch’s Church in Brooklyn going back to the 1990s and has lectured around
the USA about the Genocide in Smyrna that is commemorated on the days of
September 9-22 every year. Taneris encouraged the attendees to speak out and
tell their stories to the world, at one point a descendent of Genocide
survivors, Mr. Aristides Philip Duval came to the stage and related the story
of how his grandfather was hanged by the Turks in Thrace. The event commenced
with the recital of the ancient Hellenic hymn “THANATOS” in original Hellenic by
Hellenic scholar Georgia Nomikos

Speakers included Mr. Garo Manjikian , the Executive Director of the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA)-Eastern Region, Mr. Sabri Atman the founder
and director of the Assyrian Genocide and Research Center, Mr. Elias Tsekerides
a community activist who is currently Deputy President of the International
Confederation of Pontian Hellenes and Coordinator of the Greek Independence Day
Parade that will take place on April 18th on Fifth Avenue in New York City and
President of the Parish Council of Prophet Elias Church of Yonkers, N.Y. Mr.
Elias Tsekerides is also Past President of the Pan Pontian Federation of U.S.A.
and CANADA, past Parade Chairman and Treasurer of the Federation of Hellenic
Societies of Greater New York and an Active Member of the Order of AHEPA Chapter
No. 51, Yonkers, N.Y and very much involved in the Political Arena locally,
State wide and Nationally. Mr. Dimitris Molohides the President of the
Pan-Pontian Federation USA and CANADA who has lead Pontian Genocide
commemorations also spoke and was honored.

This year’s event was covered by influential writer Pamela Geller the editor and
publisher of the Atlas Shrugs Web site she is also former associate publisher of
the New York Observer. Her Op-Eds have appeared in The Washington Times,
Newsmax, Human Events, Big Government, WorldNetDaily, the American Thinker,
Israel National News, and other publications. She is the author (with Robert
Spencer) of the forthcoming book The Post-American Presidency: The Obama
Administration's War on America (Threshold Editions/Simon & Schuster).

Pamela Geller’s article “Another Genocide by Islam: Anniversary remembrance of
the Greek Genocide across from the UN” is available here:

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/04/another-genocide-by-islam-anniversary-of-the-greek-genocide-across-from-the-un.html

The blogger the “silent” majority no more! also wrote an article with pictures
and videos:

http://thesilentmajority.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/anniversary-of-the-thracian-genocide-across-from-the-un-video-and-pics/

UNWANTED FLOWERS:
Following the conclusion of the event Mr. Nikolaos Taneris, President of the Pan
Thracian Union of America “Orpheus” and Mr. Ioannis Fidanakis, former President
and board member of the Pan Thracian Union of America “Orpheus” took the
ceremonial funereal wreath for the inncoent victims of the Greek Genocide to the
Greek Consulate in New York on 69 E. 79 Street in Manhattan. To our dismay, when
the Greek diplomats saw our wreath and the pamphlet “GREEK GENOCIDE IN THRACE: A
CASE STUDY” they quickly bowed their heads and scurried away and hid from sight.
Not even a thank you, or an acknowledgement was made for the innocent victims of
the Greek Genocide by the diplomats or representatives of Greece in New York.
Flowers for the innocent victims of the Greek Genocide of 1914-1923, are for the
Greek diplomats of New York, Unwanted Flowers.

Mr. Kristis Ciakas has shot a video of the Unwanted Flowers, which may be
submitted to short film festivals, and for now is available on you tube, it is
titled….Unwanted Flowers.

You Tube Video: Unwanted Flowers


April 6th has been designated by The World Thracian Congress as the
International Remembrance Day for the Greek Genocide in Eastern Thrace
(Anatoliki Thraki) , in recent years, the International Association of Genocide
Scholars (IAGS) recognized this genocide stating:"BE IT RESOLVED that it is the
conviction of the International Association of Genocide Scholars that the
Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities of the Empire between 1914 and
1923 constituted a genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, and Pontian and
Anatolian Greeks. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Association calls upon the
government of Turkey to acknowledge the genocides against these populations, to
issue a formal apology, and to take prompt and meaningful steps toward
restitution."



The Greek Newspaper The National Herald ethnikos kirix 8 april 2010 page 1 has a
front page picture of our commemoration,see pdf download:
http://thraciangenocide.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/ethnikos_kirix_8_april_2010_page_1.9735635.pdf

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join our E-list on the web at WWW.THRACIANGENOCIDE.ORG

The Thracian Genocide website and Thracian Genocide affirmation is a cooperative
and collective effort by the Pan Thracian Union of America "ORPHEUS", and the
works , action and spirit of many Hellenic, Phil Hellene and American scholars
and activists.

You may post any Thracian Genocide article, press release or action alert on the
internet as long as you credit Thracian Genocide and the author(s).

####