Peabody remembers Armenian Genocide

PEABODY – The deep red, blue, and orange colors of the Armenian flag stood out against the cloudless sky as it was raised in front of City Hall Thursday afternoon in remembrance of the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.The ceremony has become a meaningful tradition in Peabody since former Mayor Peter Torigian, whose father was a Genocide survivor, first organized the event 30 years ago.”Pete was not only a great mayor, he was someone who had a great love for Armenian people,” said Mayor Michael Bonfanti. “He made me see the light.”The day began with the raising of the flag by the only Genocide survivor able to attend this year’s event, 98-year-old Carl Mootafian of Salem. All of 4-foot-11 and dressed for the occasion in a black pea coat, slacks, and dress shoes, topped with a scally cap, he proudly and loudly led the singing of the Armenian national anthem in his native tongue.Moving inside to Wiggin Auditorium, Bonfanti addressed the dozens of supporters in attendance. He said that he was proud of the city’s religious, ethnic, and cultural tolerance, as well as their support in recognizing what many parts of the world deny ever happened.”Let us not forget,” he said.From 1915-1923, the Turkish Ottoman Empire organized the brutal killing of over 1.5 million Armenians living in Turkey. Many were slaughtered and others were forced out into the ocean to drown or sent to the dessert to die beneath the hot sun. To this day, the Turkish government remains in denial of any such massacre.”We must never forget atrocities that were and are still being committed by man to his fellow man,” Bonfanti said, adding that he is both “horrified and repulsed” by what he’s seen and “can’t comprehend the inhumanity.”Recently, Bonfanti announced that Peabody would no longer associate with the Anti Defamation League’s No Place For Hate Program because they do not recognize the Armenian Genocide as a historical fact.”I thought it was the right thing to do,” said Bonfanti, who earned the title of “honorary Armenian.”After the Rev. Stepan Baljian of St. Stephen’s Church in Watertown gave a blessing and requiem, local Armenian filmmaker Apo Torosyan showed his short documentary “Witnesses.””It’s not a wonderful story, but it’s something that’ll remain forever,” he said. The film told the horrific stories of two women who experienced the Armenian Genocide at the tender ages of 8 and 11.Several others spoke, including Patrice Tierney, wife of state Rep. John Tierney; the daughters of former Mayor Torigian; and Tom Vartabedian of the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of the Merrimack Valley.”We as Armenians have recovered from a terrible blow,” said Vartabedian, who urged audience members to spread their message to today’s youth. “This is not a persecution of a race, but a preservation of a nation.”