On ANZAC Day We Stand and Think is a poem dedicated to the millions of innocent civilians who lost their lives during the genocide of Christians in WWI. This is an event most New Zealanders are unaware of; yet Gallipoli and the Armenian genocide are inextricably linked.
Ottoman Turk leaders insisted that the allied invasion necessitated the ‘deportation’ of Armenian citizens [meaning torture and extermination], in case they supported the allies. However, ANZAC war correspondents reported the capture of Armenians who fought for the Ottoman leaders (Pashas), as tens of thousands were forcibly conscripted.
Commencing in Constantinople only hours before the Gallipoli landings with the brutal butchering of hundreds of Armenian leaders, 70 Armenian, Assyrian or Greek Christians died for every ANZAC soldier who fell at Gallipoli. Even after the killing, all Armenian property was stolen and thousands of churches were crushed in what scholars call ‘Islamisation’ or ‘Turkification’. Let their souls rest in peace after a century of denials…
On wind-swept hills the Turks await,
Among sweet thyme and bush ablaze,
From distant lands men know their fate,
From ships they stare to hell amaze.
They stood for right against our foes,
To fight the Turks Great Britain called,
An Empire dying, its final throes,
Killing its people, the world appalled.
Christian soldiers forced to fight,
For the Ottoman, threat to rear,
For the Pasha, using might,
Against Armenians, full of fear.
On ANZAC Day we stand and think,
Why fight here now, this blood stained cove?
Excitement gone, in a blink,
Into horror, brave men drove.
Now we read a mournful story,
Of tragedy and tales so bold,
But do we remember history,
Or only partial truth we’re told?
ANZAC soldiers, muddy trench,
Cry for our fallen; heaven sent,
The smell of dead and dying stench,
Weep also for the innocent.
You can hide it, fog of war,
Preaching murder it was not,
But it’s a truth we can’t ignore,
Christian suffering never forgot.
On ANZAC Day we stand and think,
Of sacrifice at Gallipoli,
But we fought for right, thus the link,
Blind to genocide we cannot be.
Len Wicks, December 2014
http://originsdiscovery.com/genocide.html
The Three Monkeys of Gallipoli – the leaders of New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom are deaf, dumb and blind, while WWI allies Canada, France and Russia (and even the Ottoman’s allies Austria and Germany) have the courage to recognise the worst of crimes – genocide.
Turkey effectively blames invading nations like New Zealand, Australia and the UK for the deaths, saying it had to ‘deport’ its Christian citizens in case they supported the Allies (‘deport’ means to kill more than 1.5 million Armenian children, women, aged and unarmed male citizens by burning, crucifixion, bayonets and other gruesome means, steal their property and crush more than 2,000 churches).
The truth is that Turks have been massacring indigenous Christians since they invaded Asia Minor in 1064 because of their Christian faith, while New Zealand, Australia and the UK shamefully appease Turkey, instead of defending human rights.
Lest we Forget (the genocide of Christians – Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks).
Note to veterans: the NZ, Australian and British cartoon figures are representing political leaders, not courageous Gallipoli soldiers, many of whom recognised this crime against humanity.
Note to publishers: the cartoon may be freely reproduced but must have the following credit: Len Wicks/Tigran Hakobyan. A larger image is available at http://originsdiscovery.com/Cartoon.JPG.