Turkish Forum

Tag: Ergün Kirlikovalı.

  • Turkish-Americans want civilized dialogue, not hostile polarization

    Turkish-Americans want civilized dialogue, not hostile polarization

    *Press Release by Turkish-Americans
    April 24, 2022

    Contacts:
    Mr. E. Kirlikovali: 949-878-1186
    Mr. G. Evinch: 202-50-4474
    Mrs. O. Bain: 240-888-2860

    Turkish-Americans want civilized dialogue, not hostile polarization

    The highest court in Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, ruled on December 17, 2013 (Perincek v Switzerland) that the Armenian claim of genocide could not be compared to the Holocaust as it lacked concrete historical facts, clear legal basis, and the existence of “acts had been found by an international court to be clearly established…” (ECHR) doubted that there could be a general consensus “given that historical research was, by definition, open to discussion and a matter of debate, without necessarily giving rise to final conclusions.”

    Armenians, disappointed by this ruling and intent on giving the Turks a final blow, on the 100th anniversary of 1915 no less, appealed. This time the Grand Chamber of the ECHR took on the case and, after months of deliberations, ruled on October 15, 2015, that the alleged Armenian genocide is an opinion, not a court-proven fact.
    Moreover, since it is an unproven claim, an opinion, it can be criticized and rejected, and all that would be well within one’s right to free speech.

    The reason why ECHR decided that genocide was just an opinion, was because the honorable judges realized that the Armenian narrative lacked historical substantiation, as it ignored all Armenian revolts, Armenian terrorism, Armenian treason, Armenian territorial demands, and the Turkish deaths at the hands of Armenian insurgents since 1862 (53 years before 1915.) The Armenian narrative left half the story out and misrepresented the remaining half.

    A formidable array of prominent historians, scholars, researchers, and experts in the history of the Ottoman Empire also dispute the Armenian allegations of genocide. Here is what 69 of them said in a public statement that was published in the New York Times and Washington Post on May 19, 1985: “… As for the charge of ‘genocide’, no signatory of this statement wishes to minimize the scope of Armenian suffering. We are likewise cognizant that it cannot be viewed as separate from the suffering experienced by the Muslim inhabitants of the region. The weight of evidence so far uncovered points in the direction of serious inter-communal warfare perpetrated by Muslim and Christian irregular forces, complicated by disease, famine, suffering, and massacres in Anatolia and adjoining areas during the First World War. The resulting death toll among both Muslim and Christian communities of the region was immense. …”

    The final ruling by ECHR should have stopped all Armenian claims of genocide, but it did not. Instead, devoid of historical substantiation and rejected by international law, the well-funded Armenian lobby tried to circumvent history and law by using the media and politicians with ill-informed editorials and ill-intentioned resolutions that suffocated free speech.

    Playwright David Mamet’s recent comments on Bill Maher’s April 9, 2022, HBO program about free speech were significant: “When people with an opposing view are cancelled, we’re going to end up with a totalitarian state.” He lamented the impact of cancel culture on the future of America with these words: “… (T)he point is we have to have free speech…Without free speech, we have nothing because if one group takes the high road—it doesn’t matter which group it is—if they’re in power long enough, we’re going to have a police state. So…when people who state an opposing view are not disagreed with but are marginalized and canceled, we’re going to end up with a totalitarian state because that’s the way human nature works.”

    We, the Americans of Turkish heritage, reject Armenian misrepresentations of 1915 and are ready to engage in a civilized dialogue based on historical facts, not hearsay, forgeries, embellishments, or political propaganda materials. We want peace based on fair memory, shared pain, truth, and honesty

  • Turkish Denialist Helps Publicize Truth about the Armenian Genocide

    Turkish Denialist Helps Publicize Truth about the Armenian Genocide

    Ergun Kirlikovali, a resident of Orange County, California, and former president of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, has carried out a life-long Don Quixotic battle against recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Unfortunately for him, the more he denies the Genocide, the more he helps publicize it.

    Here is the latest episode of Kirli’s ‘heroic’ actions which once again backfired on him and his obsessive denialism.

    On April 24, as 60,000 protestors gathered in front of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles, Kirli showed up with a handful of his denialist compatriots trying to cover up the tarnished image of their homeland! The Turks’ presence at the protest attracted the attention of the local news media, generating more publicity for the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

    To take credit for his anti-Armenian protest, Kirli had a cohort videotape his interview with KABC-TV, during which he once again denied the Armenian Genocide. Shockingly, in the midst of the interview, the KABC cameraman made derogatory remarks about Armenians, calling them “thug-like idiots.”

     

    In its news coverage of the April 24 protest, KABC used a sound bite from Kirli’s 8-minute rant. However, no one would have known about the cameraman’s prejudicial comments, if it were not for Kirli posting the raw footage of his interview on Facebook, which got the anti-Armenian cameraman in hot water.

     

    In response to complaints from the public, KABC promptly issued a statement apologizing for its freelance cameraman’s remarks and announcing the termination of his services with the TV station. However, KABC insisted that its story was “fair and accurate.” Many viewers disagreed, citing the inclusion of Kirli’s denialist views in the broadcast. In a phone conversation with KABC’s General Manager last week, I discussed the pitfalls of providing airtime to a denialist and the positive steps the TV station could initiate to educate viewers about the Armenian Genocide. Upset by the station’s conciliatory statement, Kirli posted on Facebook his “disappointment” with KABC’s apology and dismissal of the cameraman after complaints from “Armenian pressure groups.”

     

    The Armenian National Committee of America — Western Region (ANCA) and Armenian Youth Federation — Western US (AYF) issued a joint statement contesting KABC’s decision to provide a platform to a notorious genocide denier and asked for a meeting with the TV station’s management. They justifiably contended that KABC would never interview a neo-Nazi while covering a Holocaust commemorative event.

     

    Subsequently, KABC’s management agreed to meet with representatives of ANCA, AYF, and the Armenian Bar Association, and removed from the TV station’s website Kirli’s offensive words along with the questionable news story! After the meeting, Cheryl Kunin Fair, President and General Manager of KABC-TV, issued the following highly principled statement on May 2:

     

    “ABC7 regrets what happened and apologizes for the pain this incident caused the Armenian community, especially on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. The actions of the cameraman in question, who no longer works for the station, and the resulting story that aired that day, were not an accurate reflection of ABC7′ s commitment to the Armenian community. While the cameraman’s comments did not air, we regret the inclusion in our story of a short bite from the interview denying the existence of the Genocide on historical grounds, which is counter to the position of a majority of historians today who do call it a Genocide, and see the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians as a premeditated and systematic campaign to exterminate an entire people. Efforts are underway in partnership with the ANCA, AYF, Armenian Bar Association and others to provide opportunities for public dialogue, internal education, and meaningful stories about and for the Armenian community and their efforts for Genocide recognition and education. We are committed to moving forward with these initiatives and we thank the ANCA and its partner organizations for their leadership in this dialogue and willingness to listen.”

     

    KABC-TV should be commended for issuing such a reassuring statement, apologizing for the offense caused to the Armenian community, promising not to use the services of the bigoted cameraman, expressing regret for interviewing a genocide denialist, reaffirming the truth of the Armenian Genocide, and pledging to work with community organizations to educate the public on this critical issue. Without Kirli’s persistent denialist endeavors, none of these constructive steps would have been possible!