Town Council
Town of Watertown
Administrative Building * Watertown, MA 02472-4410
(617) 972-6470 * Fax (617) 972-6485
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS: Watertown believes that all persons, regardless of their ancestry or creed, should be treated with equal consideration and respect; and,
WHEREAS: Watertown felt that the nationwide No Place for Hate (NPFH) program, which was created and sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), could provide a framework for residents to practice mutual respect and to stand up against bias and prejudice. Watertown had, since July, 2005 actively participated in NPFH; and,
WHEREAS: A significant portion of Watertown’s citizens are of Armenian ancestry and have, though personal experience, family loss, and the historical record, known the horrors of the planned extermination by Turkey of indigenous Armenians, recognized as the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 23, However, the national ADL has long refused to unequivocally acknowledge he Armenian Genocide, and has also opposed affirmation of that Genocide by the United States; and,
WHEREAS: The national ADL’s statement of August 21, 2007 on the Armenian Genocide contravened the definition of genocide as defined by the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Watertown believes that NPFH’s human rights mission is incompatible with the biased actions of the ADL regarding the Armenian Genocide; and,
WHEREAS: Said actions of the national ADL are incompatible with its own stated human rights aims. According to Dr. Gregory Stanton, president of Genocide Watch, “Denial is the 8th stage that always follows a genocide. It is among the surest indicators of further genocidal massacres.” Watertown believes that the denial of any genocide demeans the memory of the victims and their suffering, affronts universal human rights, and encourages the commission of future genocides; and,
WHEREAS: the Watertown Town Council has, as a consequence of the foregoing, disassociated Watertown from NPFH, and,
WHEREAS: David Boyajian is a journalist, a resident of the neighboring City of Newton, and a descendant of Armenian exiles denied equal justice and self-determination on their ancestral lands. His letter of July 6, 2007 in the Watertown Tab and Press and his ensuing activism initiated the drive to tell Watertown and the world about the ADL’s unprincipled actions regarding the Armenian Genocide. David’s strong, articulate voice inspired other human rights advocates and citizens alike, and subsequent investigative writings further explicated the ADL’s role in genocide denial,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Watertown Town Council expresses its sincere thanks to David Boyajian, and will continue to stand up for human rights, protect its citizens against defamation, and honor its long-standing tradition of respect for all people.
I HEREUNTO SET MY HAND
And cause the Great Seal of the
Town of Watertown to be affixed
On this 22nd day of April, 2008.
(signature)
Clyde L. Younger, Council President
