The Australian-Turkish Community attacked a Greek Australian South Australian MP in a letter to all Members of the South Australian House of Assembly.
The Australian Turkish Advocacy Alliance Executive Secretary Baris Atayman was critical of Tom Koutsantonis MP following “his disbelief” in his proposed motion for the state government to recognise 19 May as the official day of remembrance of the Greek genocide.
Mr Atayman accused the former SA Treasurer that his move was a distraction motivated “solely by Tom Koutsantonis’ personal ethnic bias, irrelevant to the daily needs of the good people of South Australia, who are looking up to their politicians to deliver solutions for more pressing issues such as COVID19 and the subsequent economic fall-out.”
In his letter Atayman also urged everyone to “do the right thing and shun Mr Koutsantonis’ biased political manoeuvre, supporting the idea that such act would only bring disrepute to the state politics of the SA, alienate many other minority groups, and offend the First Nation’s people. More importantly, we call up on you to not undersign this factually erred historic motion without making further research on the topic,” Mr Atayman said, naming Koutsantonis’ proposal “a political act, a disgrace to the great things many Greek and Turkish people who share Australian values achieve together.”
Mr Atayman also went so far as to express the idea that extreme Hellenic groups, continue to poison western public opinion in contrast to the warmer feelings both diaspora people have for each other.
Koutsantonis: “I will not be intimidated into silence”
In his response to Mr Atayman’s letter, Mr Koutsantonis said that he will not be intimidated into silence “by those who have attempted for over a century to conceal the atrocities committed by the Turkish Military on the civilian population of Asia Minor”, adding that Greek people deserve justice.
“Obviously my motion in the South Australian Parliament to recognise the Genocide of the Hellenes of Asia Minor has angered those who have attempted for over a century. We owe to all the journalist imprisoned in Turkey today to stand up for the truth, for all the political activists imprisoned for their dissent in modern Turkey today to speak up and most importantly we owe to the millions murdered to speak up and never forget. The South Australian House of Assembly has already recognised the genocide of the Hellenes, Armenians and Syrians of Asia Minor by the Turkish Military,” he said.
“We will once again consider this motion and I will not be intimidated into silence.”