In January 2014, I challenged the Chair of the committee in my home city of Derby, as to why none of the planned events dealt with the Armenian Genocide. His response was twofold; firstly, the UK committee does not endorse the reference to any genocides prior to 1939, and secondly, Derby does not have an Armenian community to justify any change to that policy. Despite this, he made the offer to me to join the committee, for the 2015 events, and work with the team to make sure that we did recognize the Armenian Genocide.

As 2015 is the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the HMD UK committee commissioned a special candle from Sir Anish Kapoor ( Indian sculptor living in London). Just 70 candles were made and they were only given to those cities who could demonstrate that their events would be of sufficient high standard to qualify for this important artefact. Derby was successful in being awarded one of the candles.

Although officially, the HMD UK event was remembering the Holocaust and the 20th Anniversary of the Srebrenica massacres in Bosnia, the Derby committee jointly agreed to change the scope of our events to include the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This was reflected in all of the publicity surrounding the occasion.

HMD in Derby focuses its events in 3 locations, and it was decided, that we would take the opportunity to light the candle on 3 occasions for the 3 Genocides. It was decided that the lighting of the candle in the Derby Cathedral, the seat of the Church of England in the City, would be to remember the Armenian Genocide. The most fitting of places for this.

The candle was first lit in the Bosnia-Hercegovina Centre by 2 survivors of the massacre of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica. Their moving stories were read out to a shocked and silenced audience.

As the second lighting of the candle, and the carrying of it to the front of the Cathedral, was a solemn and important moment in the proceedings, I wanted that to be performed by an Armenian. Mr Ara Nahadedian, from Crewe, attended to perform that, resplendent in traditional Armenian costume.

The final lighting of the candle, on behalf of those Jews who perished in the Holocaust, was in the QUAD Arts Centre, the venue for the main event of the day, with an audience of over 300 people.

After that ceremony I was given the opportunity to make a 10 minute presentation on the Armenian Genocide.

To give the whole occasion the due respect it deserved, I invited a representation from the Armenian Embassy in London to join the day. I am pleased to have welcomed Mr Hayk Khemchyan to Derby in that capacity. We were also joined by others from the Armenian community who were able to travel from Manchester, Crewe and London.

Throughout all of the planning, the committee had never wavered from the fact that we were going to refer to the Armenian Genocide. We never discussed using any other euphemisms. In Derby, the planning committee is an independent group of people, not formally linked to any political structure. In the few days prior to the HMD itself, the Mayor of Derby received an email from the Turkish Embassy complaining about the fact that we were making overt references to the killings in 1915 as “Genocide”, and that we should change our position and use less provocative language.

For the few brief references made by the Mayor, and one other official, the script was changed, on the instruction of the local Council. The script for the main event, including my presentation remained totally unchanged. We were resolute that we were not going to be dictated to.

Ironically, the fact that the Turkish Government had tried to influence our events proved to be helpful in highlighting to the audience, the gravity of the political situation, even 100 years on.

The purpose of my presentation was to make the link from 1915, to the plight of the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, today, and how the policy of denial was the last act of Genocide.

I highlighted the fact that the iconic Mt Ararat being in Turkey is

“a daily reminder of the injustice of their situation….and the weakness and possible corruption of politics in the post- WW1 period which resulted in a treaty and division of lands that rewarded those who committed the crime of Genocide.”

The theme of the HMD events this year was “Keep the Memory Alive” and I used this to emphasise that

“.. for the Armenians it is worse than forgetting…..it is the denial that it is taking place. Today is not just about a historical remembrance of something that happened 100 years ago… Today is about recognising and understanding that the Genocide of the Armenians is unfinished business for Turkey and Azerbaijan….”

Bearing in mind the antics of the Turkish Embassy with respect to our events, and the extent to which Governments avoid holding Turkey to account, and comply with perceived pressure, I went on to say:

“The Nazi Holocaust happened because too many people stood by and did nothing – this is happening today for the Armenians. We must not allow ignorance and political expediency to facilitate the Genocidal intentions of Turkey and Azerbaijan.”

The local committee were shocked about the conduct of the Turkish Embassy and it has simply reinforced our resolve to ensure that we will remember and recognize the Armenian Genocide, and its impact on Nagorno Karabakh every year. For many, this experience has highlighted the reality of the plight of the Armenians in a way which I could never have planned and, perversely I am grateful to the Turkish Embassy, for their actions, on this occasion.

Russell Pollard is an English journalist and photographer, who has visited Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh 10 times over the past 4 years. He is the founder of the website www.Artsakh.Org.UK and writes regularly on issues relating to Artsakh. He is active in promoting recognition of the current situation from an Armenian perspective and also in influencing an understanding of the truth about the events in and around Khojalu in 1992.