The Greeks weep, while Turkey feasts…

May 19 is a tragic day in the history of the Greek people. On February 24, in 1994 the Greek Parliament unanimously decided to proclaim May 19 Genocide Memorial Day realized by the Turkeys against the Greeks of Pontus.

"Persecution of Greeks, as well as other Christian nations living in the Ottoman Empire, have been carried out regularly until 1919. For example, big number of Greeks and Assyrians were murdered during the reigning of Sultan Hamid 2 during the Armenian massacres in 1894-1896 organized by the latter. In 1915, in March, in Smyrna city suburbs (at present, Izmir), the Young Turks carried out massacres of Greek who were called to the Turkish army.

However, Turkey's genocide policy against the Greek population was carried out especially during the reigning of Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), during the Turkish-Greek war in 1919-1922" genocide.ru reports.

According to different estimations 600 thousand to 1 million Greeks have become victims of the Turkish Genocidal policy. A great loss for the humanity was also the destruction of cultural heritage of the Pontus Greeks.

It is noteworthy that on this day when the Greeks all over the world are mourning for the victims of Turkish atrocities, Turkey is having a national holiday on May 19; it is the Youth and Sports Day. However the choice of the day is linked, neither with youth, nor with sport. In 1919 on this very day the first Turkish president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the Black Sea port of Samsun, announced a gathering against the invasion of foreigners.

“By that time Turkey was leading war against Greece. The movement for the freedom was led mainly by the youth. Thus the newly established state was being given to the young generation, whom Ataturk was going to make one of the important elements of the new Republic,” calend.ru notes.

Since 1915 the Armenians living in Ottoman Turkey were subjected to the persecutions of the Empire's authorities which was the heaviest crime against the humanity; genocide. Around 1.5 million Armenians were killed only because of being Armenians. Over half a million Armenians were deported.