Wales-Armenia Solidarity
c/o The Temple of Peace, King Edward viii Ave, Cathays, Cardiff
07718982732
An "Armenian Spring" in Wales!
We are pleased to announce that the majority of the Members of the National Assembly for Wales have signed the "Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day" Statement of Opinion in less than four weeks. A Statement of Opinion on Recognition of the Genocide in 2000 took two and a half years to gather a majority of Assembly Members' signatures. Only 45 of the total number of 60 Assembly Members are allowed to sign such Statements. Thus the 32 who have signed by today represent over two thirds of the eligible Members.It is arguable whether it is the National Assembly itself or the Welsh Assembly Government (a separate body) which has the power to denote special days in the Welsh Calendar. The Welsh Assembly Government is made of twelve Labour Party ministers who usually are faithfull to the UK goverrnment line on Armenia. This view will become increasingly difficult to hold, as it would make a mockery of Welsh democracy.
Such was our faith that Welsh politicians would follow their consciences and not succumb to pressure from London , that a concert to mark this historic success had already been organised at the foot of Mount Snowdon, (our highest mountain) in Rehoboth Chapel, in the village of Nant Peris at 7 p.m. on Friday, 30th March. Participating at the event will be HE the Ammbassador of Armenia, Mrs Karine Kazinian and HG Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian , Primate of the Artmenian Church in Britain and Ireland. Prayers will be said for the Martyrs of Armenia and of Wales. Any profit will go to the charity Orran, which helps homeless children. Speaking will be Ara Krikorian, onre of the co-founders of Orran.
The connection between the Rehoboth Presbyterian Chapel and Armenia goes back to 1896, when the Christians of the small slate quarrying village of Nant Peris collected £6 to help the Armenians following the terrible massacres of that year. We understand that this would be worth £2,000 today
On Saturday, 31st March it is envisaged that our Armenian guests will go up to the summit of Snowdon to pray for Wales and for Armenia. All Assembly Members are invited to accompany them as well as to the concert
WRITTEN STATEMENTS OF OPINION TABLED ON 23/02/2012
OPIN-2012-0067 - Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
The National Assembly of Wales believes that the 24th April should be officially denoted in Wales as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Total signatories to date ---- 32
Raised By:
Mike Hedges
William Powell
Subscribers:(date signed)
Russell George 27/02/2012
Bethan Jenkins 28/02/2012
Jocelyn Davies 29/02/2012
Llyr Huws Gruffydd 29/02/2012
Julie Morgan 01/03/2012
Leanne Wood 06/03/2012
Alun Ffred Jones 06/03/2012
Mark Drakeford 07/03/2012
Rebecca Evans 07/03/2012
Sandy Mewies 07/03/2012
Lindsay Whittle 09/03/2012
Janet Finch-Saunders 12/03/2012
Elin Jones 13/03/2012
Simon Thomas 13/03/2012
Julie James 13/03/2012
Aled Roberts 13/03/2012
Eluned Parrott 14/03/2012
Christine Chapman 14/03/2012
Keith Davies 14/03/2012
Rhodri Glyn Thomas 14/03/2012
Antoinette Sandbach 15/03/2012
Ann Jones 16/03/2012
Joyce Watson 19/03/2012
Lynne Neagle 19/03/2012
Mark Isherwood 20/03/2012
David Rees 20/03/2012
Kirsty Williams 20/03/2012
Mick Antoniw 20/03/2012
Peter Black 21/03/2012
Gwyn Price 21/03/2012
Rememberance Concert for the Martyrs of the Armenian Holocaust
at Capel Rehoboth, Nant Peris, Gwynedd LL55 4UE
(at the foot of Snowdon)
at 7 p.m. on Friday, 30th March
by the popular duet
"Iona ac Andy"
and Seda Cox (Wolverhampton)
Any profit towards ORRAN, an Armenian Charity which helps homeless children in Yerevan
Participating:
HE Mr Karine Kazinian, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia
HG Bishop Vahan of the Armenian Church
Guest Speaker: Ara Krikorian, of ORRAN from Bath
Details
07718982732
Wales-Armenia Solidarity
Concert in aid of Orran
(to aid homeless children in Armenia)
It is hoped that Armenians from over the UK will flock to the tiny village of Nant Peris at the foot of Mount Snowdon on Friday, 30th March.. Rehoboth Presbyterian Chapel, which collected £6 to help the Armenians during the 1894-96 massacres (equivalent to over £2000 today) is facing closure, and a Concert to Save (or close ) the Chapel is organised at 7 p.m. that evening. The link with Armenia continued in 2004 when Anna Hovhannissian , a sunday school teacher at the chapel, helped to persuade Gwynedd Council to vote unanimously to recognize the Genocide, The vote was taken on 4th March 2004. Turkish organizations in the UK exherted strong pressure on the council , (without success) tin an attempt to reverse the vote.. Gwynedd this became the first municipality in the UK to do this
There is a strong folk memory in Gwynedd, of the 1896 Massacres. These were widely reported in the Welsh newspapers, and protest meetings were held across Wales. Wesh poets wrote passionately eg
" Ti fwyn Gymru Gristionogol,
Dros Yr Iawn bob amser gaed
Cod fy lais at Dduw a dynion
Dros Armenia yn ei gwaed"
trans.
" Sweet Christian Wales
Who stood up always for that is Just
Lift your voice towards God and towards men
For Armenia bathed in blood"
A poem to honour the Welsh.
In honour of their memory.
'Sweet Christian Welsh'
You stood up for us -
Your hearts are so true and so just.
We lift up our voice towards God,
Wales and mankind!
For Armenian's bathed in blood,
Still, worldly unrecognized.
Seta
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