ORANGE COUNTY, CA – The Armenian Youth Federation Western United States (AYF-WUS) rallied the greater Southern California Armenian-American community to protest Mehmet Oz at a fundraising event for his U.S. Congress campaign on Thursday evening. The event was held at the Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana. On this occasion, the AYF-WUS released the statement included below.
—
The Armenian Youth Federation Western United States (AYF-WUS) expresses its deepest condemnation of Dr. Mehmet Oz’s refusal to recognize the Armenian Genocide as a part of his bid for the U.S. Senate this midterm election. On behalf of the Armenian-American community, the AYF-WUS calls on the Dr. Oz for U.S. Senate Campaign to right its wrong by fully and transparently recognizing the Armenian Genocide and standing with the U.S. government in holding Turkey accountable for its atrocious crime.
The Dr. Oz campaign has, on repeated occasions, made its refusal to recognize the Armenian Genocide outright and public. On April 19th, when asked by the media to express Dr. Oz’s stance on the matter, the campaign failed to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and instead recited denialist rhetoric that evaded placing any responsibility on Turkey. Later, reports on July 27th found Dr. Oz guilty of housing Armenian Genocide deniers in his New Jersey apartment – further strengthening the candidate’s complicity in genocide denial. The AYF-WUS is deeply troubled by the Oz Campaign denialist policy carried out by word and action throughout his campaign.
Furthermore, it is alarming that the Oz Campaign has maintained this denialism despite it being in direct contradiction with official U.S. government policy, which unequivocally recognizes the Armenian Genocide. After decades of advocacy inside and outside halls of power, the Armenian-American community and its allies achieved major milestones in our fight for justice with the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and President Joe Biden. We firmly call out the Dr. Oz campaign for failing to align with official U.S. government policy and attempting to undermine decades of grassroots work for justice.
There is no place for a genocide denier in American politics. Anyone who does not speak out against the atrocities committed against over two million Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, and other Christian minorities is actively denying those atrocities and working towards silencing its remembrance. Even more, denialism directly abets and enables the Turkish dictator, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in repeating the unpunished, genocidal crimes of Turkey through their closely-aligned ally Azerbaijan, led by Ilham Aliyev’s dictatorial regime. Genocide denialism, as clearly reflected in the Oz Campaign, directly enables dictators Aliyev and Erdogan in committing various war crimes through unprovoked attacks against the ethnic Armenians of Armenia and Artsakh. As a direct result, Armenians are being ethnically cleansed in their indigenous ancestral lands because of rampant genocide denialism.
By allying with denialist Dr. Oz, his supporters are responsible for corroborating genocidal acts against the Armenian people and emboldening the fascist leaders who implement them.
A genocide denied is a genocide repeated. As blatant deniers of genocide, Dr. Oz and his supporters are complicit in a cycle of genocide that must and will be put to an end.
Armenian Youth Federation Western United States
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western United States
Armenian National Committee of America
Armenian Revolutionary Federation “Shant” Student Association
Armenian Youth Federation Juniors
ARF “Armen Karo” Gomideh
ANCA Orange County
Armenian Cultural Foundation Orange County Chapter
Orange County Armenian Community Center
Armenian Relief Society “Karni” & “Sevan” Chapters
AYF Juniors “Aghpiur Serop” Chapter
Hamazkayin “Siamanto” Chapter
Homenetmen “Sartarabad” Chapter
Ani Guiragos Minassian Armenian School
Forty Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian General Benevolent Union Saturday School
