We, the undersigned, hereby call on the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV) to illuminate its building each year for ALL THE VICTIMS  of the Greek Genocide, not just those from the region of Pontus. Remembering victims of genocide from only one region is not only divisive but also fundamentally disrespectful.

Background
Over the last few years, the GOCMV has been illuminating its office tower in the heart of Melbourne's central business district a red colour on May 19 as a form of respect to the victims of the Greek Genocide only from the region of Pontus. Although this action has pleased many Pontic Greeks, it has caused insult among Greeks whose ancestors were victims of the genocide in regions outside of Pontus. According to news reports, the action to illuminate the GOCMV building has been funded by four anonymous Greek-Australian businessmen with the support of the GOCMV Board. 

The Greek Genocide
The Greek Genocide refers to the systematic extermination of the native Greek subjects of the Ottoman Empire before, during and after World War I (1914-1923) and was instigated by two successive governments of the Ottoman Empire; the Committee of Union and Progress also known as the Young Turks and the Turkish Nationalist movement under the command of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Greeks from throughout the Ottoman Empire were victims in regions which included Eastern Thrace, Asia Minor (including Pontus) and the Greeks of the Levant.  

Recognition
In 1994, the Hellenic Parliament affirmed the genocide of Greeks from the region of Pontus and assigned May 19 as a day of remembrance (Law No: 2193/1994). Four years later, in 1998, the Hellenic Parliament recognized the genocide of Greeks from the entire region of Asia Minor (which includes Pontus) and assigned September 14 as a day of remembrance (Law No: 2645/1998). The genocide of the Greeks of Eastern Thrace has yet to be recognized by the Hellenic Parliament however, Greeks from this region have assigned April 6 as a day of remembrance and continue to fight for recognition from the Hellenic Parliament. 

Although Greeks have assigned multiple days of remembrance for the Greek Genocide, it is undeniable that Greeks from numerous regions were collectively victims of a single genocidal process by a common perpetrator between the years 1914-1923. In 2007, the International Association of Genocide Scholars affirmed the genocide of Greeks in the Ottoman Empire and referred to a Greek Genocide. In May 2013, the Parliament of New South Wales recognized a genocide of Greeks in the Ottoman Empire and referred to a Greek Genocide (Legislative Assembly Hansard: May 8, 2013). Greek Genocide recognitions have also been passed in the Armenian Parliament (2015), the State of South Dakota (2015), the State of Iowa (2016), the State of New Jersey (2019, 2022) and the Tasmanian House of Assembly (2023) to name but a few. 

We therefore call on the Board of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria to honour all the victims of the Greek Genocide in the true spirit of Hellenism in an inclusive and dignified manner without distinction of region by illuminating its building for all the victims. Attempts at division and selective remembrance by anonymous wealthy members of Melbourne's Greek community must be expressly rejected by the GOCMV Board and measures put in place to unite the victims in memory, not divide them. 

Further Reading: 
A General Overview of the Greek Genocide
Greek Genocide on Wikipedia
The Genocide of the Ottoman Greeks 
The Greek Genocide in American Naval War Diaries 
The Greek Genocide 1913-1923: New Perspectives 

Photo: Greekcity Times