ARF Zavarian Student Association peacefully demonstrating Armenian Genocide denialist lecturer at Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (Photo: Zavarian Student Association) Turkish historian İlber Ortaylı (Photo: Zavarian Student Association) ARF Zavarian Student Association peacefully demonstrating Armenian Genocide denialist lecturer at Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (Photo: Zavarian Student Association) Supporter of genocide denialist lecturer (Photo: Zavarian Student Association) ARF Zavarian Student Association peacefully demonstrating Armenian Genocide denialist lecturer at Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (Photo: Zavarian Student Association)

BEIRUT, Lebanon—The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Zavarian Student Association on April 4 demonstrated a peaceful stance of rejection against the University of Holy Spirit of Kaslik’s reception of an Armenian Genocide denialist, Turkish historian İlber Ortaylı, through a lecture/debate on the history of contemporary Turkey. Video footage of the demonstration can be found on Zavarian Student Association’s Facebook page.

The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik hosted the denialist historian Ortaylı, who spreads falsified information about the history of Turkey all around the world, and now in Lebanon.

He claims that the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of the present-day Turkey, has been a tolerant state, giving religious and civil freedom to the minorities of the former empire.

Zavarian Student Association members peacefully chanted “Genocide denialist, shame on you, we are here” during the lecture.

We as Lebanese know very well how Turkish authorities have starved and tortured the dependents of the Ottoman Empire.

We as the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, are the living proof of the atrocities and indescribable crimes against humanity the Turks committed.

The Greeks know how unwelcome and oppressed they were in successor republic of Turkey as they were deported to Greece, what is also known as the population exchange.

The Kurds also know the degree of intolerance of Turkish authorities during the aerial bombings of Kurdish populous in Turkey in the 1930s, and their oppression and persecution which continues till this day.

The Turks have been and still are on their Panturanic mission of homogenizing the population of their state which was built on the corpses of the people they oppressed, massacred and deported.

They have been preaching intolerance and hatred and spreading false propaganda on their own history and the history of the people in Anatolia and the Middle East.

Falsified history and bias historians such as İlber Ortaylı have produced the byproduct called Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose regime subsidizes ISIS.

It is worth noting that the tolerant and prominent Turkish scholars are either assassinated, prosecuted, in jail or in exile.

The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik has always been supporters of humanitarian causes and have opposed all sorts of injustice. The University should have also hosted unbiased Turkish historians who are brave enough to speak the truth on the history and the bloody path of “Turkey’s nation building.”

The aim of today’s peaceful campaign was to spread awareness and remind our compatriots and students of the denialist and intolerant nature of the Turkish state who is trying to spread its political, economic, and cultural influence in the Middle East and to remind the Holy University of Kaslik that Tuesday’s devious lecturer does not suit its reputation.