By an overwhelming majority Ealing Council earlier this evening voted to adopt a motion put forward by Councillor Ara Iskandarian and seconded by Councillor Bassam Mahfouz. Not only has the Borough of Ealing voted to allow the placing of the Memorial plaque at the Apricot tree in Ealing Green it has also officially and formally recognised the Armenian Genocide.
All credit and recognition of Cllr Iskandarian’s effort and hard work has yielded just and righteous results, against a scandalous opposition from the Conservative Councillors, who attempted to amend the motion, but were outvoted unanimously. Although the amendment had no hope of passing against an overwhelming support, the Conservative Councillors chose to abstain rather than vote against the motion therefore allowing the Resolutions to be carried by an absolute majority without a vote to the contrary. Perhaps an indication that the moral compass of the Conservative Party points true North.
Full text of the motion is shown below:

Holocaust Memorial

Councillor Iskandarian to move:

“Holocaust Memorial Day on 27th January 2011 is recognition of not only the suffering of those who died in the holocaust but also recognition of all the people who have suffered as a result of Genocide.

The London Borough of Ealing is home to an Armenian Community of some several thousand and has hosted an Armenian population since shortly after the First World War. The borough has subsequently come to be seen as the centre of Armenian community life within the United Kingdom.

Many of the Borough’s Armenian residents are the second and third generation descendants of survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in which one and a half million innocent victims were murdered by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

Last April, the Armenian community of Ealing planted an apricot tree, by way of a simple memorial to the victims. Their intention was to place alongside the apricot tree an explanatory plaque reading:

“This Apricot Tree (Prunus Armeniaca) serves as a memorial to the one and half million victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide”

The plaque has yet to be put up.

Council resolves:

• To again observe Holocaust Memorial Day as an acknowledgement of all the victims of Genocide.
• To categorically acknowledge and recognise the events of 1915 perpetrated against the Armenians as constituting genocide.
• To include the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in subsequent Holocaust Memorial Days and related events within the Borough.
• To reconfirm this Council’s commitment to cohesion between communities, both locally and nationally, and its ongoing support for dialogue and reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian communities.
• To allow the unveiling of a commemorative plaque containing the above text and for it to be placed in the closest possible proximity to the apricot tree on Ealing Green.”

The motion was carried with absolute majority.

Labour Member of Parliament for Ealing North, Mr. Stephen Pound MP together with Labour Party Councillors Julian Bell, the leader of the Council, Bassam Mahfouz and Ara Iskandarian, were instrumental in securing the vote.

The Chairman of Armenian Community and Church Council of Great Britain, Mr. Ara Palamoudian and the head of The Armenian National Committee of UK, Mr. Sevan Artin were present at the chamber during the meeting.

Mr. Stephen Pound MP (Member of Parliament) for Ealing North has been closely co-operating with ANC UK and the Armenian Community and Church Council (ACCC) of GB towards successful conclusion of this resolution.

Mr Pound MP has always most fervently advocated recognition of the Armenian Genocide and on behalf of the British Armenian Community the ACCC would like to thank Mr Pound for his enormous efforts and invaluable contribution towards bringing this Motion to the Ealing Council Chamber and for the successful result.