Jacinta Allan faces voter fury over Greek-Armenian genocide motion
Century-old tensions over a genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire after World War I erupt in Victorian state politics.
The Victorian Labor government faces an ethnic voter backlash and a damaging internal split after a controversial decision by Premier Jacinta Allan to oppose a parliamentary motion recognising the century-old Greek-Armenian-Assyrian genocide.
The motion to recognise the genocide of an estimated three million people by the Ottoman Empire during World War I, being prepared by Greens Leader Samantha Ratnam, is expected to be debated in parliament next week.
The debate is controversial for all sides of politics as it risks undermining Greens support among the Muslim and Turkish communities and sparking a Greek backlash against Labor.
Mr Allan’s office confirmed on Wednesday that Labor would not support the motion when it is presented to the Legislative Council next week.
“We know a lot of people feel very strongly about this issue,” a goverment spokesperson told The Australian.
“But this is not an appropriate time for this motion. The war in the Middle East has hurt social cohesion in this country and led to so much division.
“Right now we need to focus on uniting communities, not creating more division.”
Labor has traditionally received strong support at the ballot box from Greek Australians, but The Australian has been told some local ALP branches in Greek-dominated electorates are preparing motions opposing the position taken by the Labor goverment.
The Greens said it was critical for the government to take the step of formally recognising the Armenian-Greek-Assyrian Genocide.
While Ms Ratnam declined to comment when approached by The Australian, a Victorian Greens spokesperson said the motion has not yet been finalised. However, it’s understood the motion will be put before parliament next week.
“Victorian State MPs are having discussions with other parties and the community about the text of an appropriate motion that can be passed through parliament with broad support,” a Victorian Greens spokesperson said.
Ms Ratnam is leaving state politics to contest the federal seat of Wills, which has Greek and Turkish communities. It is now held by Labor’s Peter Khalil.
“It is important for the families and descendants of the 1.5 million Armenians who were killed by the Ottoman Empire and the families and descendants of the one million Greeks and Assyrians who were also killed,” Ms Ratnam said in a statement published on the Victorian Greens website.
“The genocide was one of the gravest crimes against humanity in modern times and the Victorian Greens pay tribute to the memory of the victims. To ensure such crimes against humanity are not repeated we must learn the lessons of history.”
With Victoria hosting the largest Turkish population in Australia, and over 300,000 Muslims residing in the state, the motion risks alienating Muslim voters, many of whom share sympathies with the Turkish community. There are an estimated 350,000 people of Greek heritage in Victoria.
In a statement sent to The Australian, the Turkish Embassy in Canberra said the draft serves primarily to advance the agendas of radical ethnic groups, rather than fostering a balanced and inclusive dialogue about the shared history.
“At a time when societal cohesion is under serious strain around the world, also in Australia, due to the humanitarian catastrophe and continuing crimes against humanity in the Middle East, such divisive rhetoric only undermines efforts to build mutual understanding,” a spokesperson for the Turkish Embassy said.
“During this period, as the Ottoman Empire lost territory in the Balkans, newly established Balkan states sought to establish ethnically homogeneous nation-States. This led to widespread persecution, massacres and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Muslim populations. This fact is often overlooked in historical narratives as it is the case in Ms. Ratnam’s recent motion.”
Greek Community of Melbourne President Bill Papastergiadis OAM wrote to Ms Allan and leader of the Victorian opposition John Pesutto expressing strong and unequivocal support for the proposed motion.
“The motion should be supported as a matter of principle, and we urge you to do so on that basis,” Mr Papastergiadis said in the letters, which also stated that “the historical facts are accepted and well documented by respected academics and historians ... they show that three million mainly Christians of Greek, Armenian and Assyrian ethnicities were the
victims of these genocides”.
“The debate and vote on this motion will be a defining moment for those who have been waiting for recognition and justice, and the way members vote will not go unnoticed,” he wrote.
“It should be emphasised that this recognition is not anti-Turkish as some may claim,” he said.
Former head of the Islamic Council of Victoria and Turkish community leader Nail Aykan said the Greens will lose a large chunk of Muslim support in Victoria.
“All the work the Greens have done in recent months, in building bridges with Muslims, would be undone,” Mr Aykan told The Australian.
Globally, 34 nations recognised the notion of Armenian genocide following World War I, including Australian allies such as the US, France, and Canada.
The NSW, SA and Tasmanian parliaments have all acknowledged the events as genocide.
Despite international recognition of these events as genocide, Turkey has denied the classification since 1923.
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