ARMENIAN GENOCIDE & AUSTRALIAN ANZAC DAY
By Gideon Polya
MWC News (Media With Conscience)
April 25 2012
War is associated with horrendous civilian deaths, notably of women
and children. 24 April is Armenian Genocide Day that commemorates the
beginning of the World War 1 Armenian Genocide (1.5 million Armenians
killed). The Armenian Genocide was precipitated by several months of
months of shelling that culminated in the 25 April 1915 Allied invasion
of Turkey in the Dardanelles at Gallipoli led by the Australian and
New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), this being commemorated in Australia
and New Zealand as Anzac Day.
The Gallipoli Campaign (aka the Dardanelles Campaign, Battle of
Gallipoli or the Battle of Canakkale) was dreamed up by racist,
imperialist and warmonger Winston Churchill and was a disaster for all
concerned. The British, with an eye on the oil-rich Ottoman Empire,
had tricked Turkey into entering WW1 on the side of Germany. According
to the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs, the Allied casualties
totaled 44,000 dead (21,300 British, 10,000 French, 8,700 Australian,
2,700 New Zealand and 1,400 Indian) and 97,000 wounded, while the
Turkish casualties totaled 87,000 dead and 165,000 wounded (Google
“Gallipoli Campaign”).
For the Turks the Battle of Gallipoli was a successful heroic defense
of their country from foreign invaders. For the Armenians the invasion
of Gallipoli marked the beginning of the Armenian Genocide by Turks
whose xenophobia was exacerbated by Allied attacks by British and
French Empire forces in the West and Russian forces in the East. The
Armenian Genocide wiped out most of the Armenian population of Turkish
Anatolia. However for Australia this was a major blooding of Australian
manhood and Anzac Day has become a sacred day that commemorates the
approximately 100,000 Australians who have died in war, nearly all
in foreign wars in which Australia was allied to Britain and, from
WW2 onwards, allied to the US.
Gallipoli has been held up by the Australian Establishment as a
glorious defeat that marked the beginning of Australia’s nationhood.
However while we remember the fallen with respect, Australia formally
gained independence from British in 1901 and Australia’s remarkable,
world-leading social achievements of free, secular education, free
trade unions, and universal suffrage preceded formal independence
and are among the many positive things that should be celebrated
about nascent Australia’s unique contributions to the world. Indeed
a large body of Irish Australians, cognizant of the crimes of British
imperialism (most notably the 1845-1850 Irish Famine in which 1 million
Irish were starved to death and 1.5 million were forced to emigrate )
successfully opposed conscription during WW1.
Some decades ago a small band of Australian women used to courageously
demonstrate on Anzac Day about violence to women and children in war.
However a Zionist- and US-assisted progressive shift to the right
in Australia has seen a militarization of Australian culture
with glorification rather than condemnation of war. Further, the
increasingly horrendous civilian deaths in war have been resolutely
ignored – nothing must be allowed to spoil the”official story”.
The following is an analysis of civilian deaths in wars in which
Australia has been involved. One must note at the outset that civilian
deaths occur not just through violence but also from war-imposed
deprivation (non-violent avoidable deaths) (for detailed analysis
see Gideon Polya, “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950”).
1. War on Aborigines (1788-2012). The Australian aboriginal population
dropped from about 1 million in 1788 to 0.1 million a century later
through violence, deprivation and disease. Post-invasion avoidable
deaths totaled 2 million post-1788. No peace treaty has been signed,
2. Tasmanian Aboriginal Genocide. The “full-blood” Indigenous
population dropped from 6,000 to zero in the period 1803-1876; however
there are several thousand “mixed race” descendants of Tasmanian and
Mainland Aborigines still living in Tasmania today.
3. British Indian Genocide (Indian Holocaust). Australia was invaded
to provide an eastern base in the British war against the French.
Indian post-invasion excess deaths from British-imposed deprivation
total 0.6 billion, 1757-1837, 0.5 billion, 1837-1901 under Queen
Victoria, and 0.4 billion, 1901-1947, 1.5 billion in total and 1.8
billion victims of the carnage in various royalty-ruled Indian British
Protectorate States are included.
4. European Chinese Genocide. Britain led the invasion of China,
imposing Bengali opium on the Chinese by gun-boat diplomacy and victory
in the 1839-1842 and 1856-1860 opium wars. In the period 1850-1864
there were 20-100 million deaths in the European imperialism-driven
Tai Ping rebellion. Australia was involved in suppressing the Boxer
rebellion in1898. About 35 million Chinese perished under Japanese
occupation in the period 1937-1945, during which time Australia
exported iron to Japan under pro-fascist Australian PM Robert Menzies
(and hence the moniker “Pig Iron Bob”).
Australia’s first Prime Minister, the genocidal racist Edmund Barton,
in debating what became popularly known as the White Australia
Policy (that excluded non-Europeans from Australia) stated (1901):
“The doctrine of the equality of man was never intended to apply
to the equality of an Englishman and the Chinaman”. More recently,
Wikileaks has revealed that former PM Kevin Rudd had suggested to
the Americans the course of war against China if it didn’t play ball
and that Australian Ambassador to Washington had offered Australian
troops in such an eventuality.
5. Maori Wars. Australians participated in the Maori Wars. The New
Zealand Maori population dropped from 0.1-0.2 million in 1800 to
42,000 in 1893. Australia was involved in the 19th century Maori wars.
6. African Genocide. Scores of million perished over 5 centuries of
European slavery and colonialism. Australians participated in the Sudan
War, 1881-1898 and more recently Australia urged the France-UK-US
(FUKUS) Coalition intervention in Libya (0.1 million killed, 1.3
million refugees, mostly Black Libyans).
7. Pacific Genocide. Australia was involved in slave trading
(“blackbirding”) in the Pacific in the late 19th century. There was a
catastrophic population decline due to introduced disease and slavery –
thus 40,000 Fijians died from measles out of a population of 150,000
in 1876 after Ratu Cakobau and his sons had returned infected with
the disease from a trip to Sydney. Australians were involved in the
“5-year-slavery” Girmit system that brought Indian “slaves” to work
on Fiji sugar plantations in the period 1879-1920.
8. Boer War and Boer (Afrikaner) Genocide (1899-1902). 28,000 Afrikaner
women and children died in British concentration camps.
Australians participated in the Boer War and in Boer War crimes as
set out in the movie “Breaker Morant”.
9. Gallipoli Campaign and Armenian Genocide. 1.5 million Armenians were
killed in the Armenian Genocide that was triggered by the Australian
invasion of Gallipoli as part of an Anglo-French force in 1915. As
stated above, April 24 is Armenian Genocide Day and April 25 is the
day of the Australia invasion in 1915 and also a sacred war dead
remembrance day for Australians and New Zealanders – it is called
Anzac Day after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC)
which stormed ashore on that first Anzac Day at Gallipoli in 1915).
10. Bengali Genocide (1942-1945). Australia was complicit in the
British-imposed Bengal Famine in which 6-7 million Indians were starved
to death by the British in Bengal and adjoining provinces in British
India, 1942-1945. Australians were there in NE India and indeed the
Governor of Bengal in 1944 was an Australian, Richard Casey. Australia
was complicit by withholding its huge wheat stores from starving India
at the behest of racist and genocidal UK PM Winston Churchill. The
Bengal Famine was associated with horrendous sexual abuse of starving
women and girls (notably by the British Military Labor Corps) on a
scale commensurate with the comfort women” abuses of the Japanese
Army. (see Chapter 14, “The Bengal Famine of 1943-1944” in Gideon
Polya, “Jane Austen and the Black Hole of British History”)
11. British post-1950 Third World Genocide. 1950-2005 excess deaths
in countries subject to British occupation as a major occupier in
the post-war era totaled 727 million (see Chapter 3 in Gideon Polya,
“Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950” ). Australia has
the same Head of State as the UK and was a loyal military ally of
the UK in Occupied Iraq and Occupied Afghanistan.
12. US post-1950 Third World Genocide. 1950-2005 excess deaths in
countries subject to US occupation as a major occupier in the post-war
era totaled 82 million. Australia participated in all post-1950 US
Asian Wars in Korea, Indo-China, Iraq and Afghanistan with Indigenous
Asian violent deaths and excess deaths from war-imposed deprivation
now totaling 38 million).
13. Australia’s own overseas Colonial Genocide. 1950-2005 excess deaths
in countries subject to Australian occupation as a major occupier in
the post-war era, namely Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands,
totaled 2.1 million.
14. 20th and 21st century Aboriginal Genocide. Total excess deaths
were clearly of the order of 1 million in the last century. About 0.1
million Stolen Generations Aboriginal children were forcibly removed
from their mothers in the 19th and 20th centuries, the genocidal
practice only ending in the1970s. Excess Aboriginal deaths in the
11 years of the Howard Coalition Government (1996-2007) totaled
about 90,000.
15. Palestinian Genocide. Australian troops of the Anzac Mounted
Division started the Palestinian Genocide when they massacred 137
inhabitants of the Palestinian village of Surafend near Beersheba in
reprisals for a Bedouin thief shooting a New Zealand sergeant. The
village was burned down and the matter hushed up (see “The Surafend
Affair”, Wikipedia; “New Book uncovers dark episode near Beersheba”,
ABC 7.30 Report, 28 July 2007; and Paul Daley “Beersheba: A Journey
Through Australia’s Forgotten War”). Australians were involved in
massacring Egyptian pro-democracy activists in 1919. Australia’s first
Australian-born Governor-General and distinguished Jewish Australian
Sir Isaac Isaacs was dead opposed to Zionism, stating in 1946 that
“The honor of Jews throughout the world demands the renunciation of
political Zionism” (see Sir Isaac Isaacs, quoted by Wikipedia,”Isaac
Isaacs”). However a combination of financial support to political
parties and virulent defamation of anti-racists (including anti-racist
Jews) that continues to this day has meant that the major political
parties, Labor Party and the Liberal -National Party Coalition,
strongly support US-backed Apartheid Israel even when it commits
terrorist atrocities against Australians. Since 1936 about 0.1
million Palestinians have been violently killed and 1.9 million have
died from war-, occupation- and expulsion-imposed deprivation. In
the Occupied Palestinian Territories post-1967 excess deaths total
0.3 million, post-1967 under-5 infant deaths total 0.2 million and
there are 7 million Palestinian refugees. With bi-partisan agreement,
pro-Zionist Australia provides diplomatic, financial and haven support
for Israeli state terrorism – even when directed against tens of
thousands of Australian citizens as in Lebanon in mid-2006 – and up
to life imprisonment for anyone giving support to the Hamas Party
that overwhelmingly won the 2006 Occupied Palestinian elections,
winning 76 out of 132 seats. Donations towards the Palestinian
Genocide are tax deductible in Australia, whereas a donation to a Gaza
Concentration Camp orphanage could attract up to life imprisonment
under Australia’s draconian, Islamophobic anti-terrorism laws (Google
“Palestinian Genocide”).
16. Korean War. Australia committed troops the US Korean War of whom
340 died. The Korean War was associated with military deaths totaling
0.7 million (South Korea), 37,000 (USA), 0.5 million (North Korea)
and 0.2 million (China). Violent civilian deaths totaled as high as
3.0 million. However avoidable deaths from war-imposed deprivation
totaled about 1.0 million. For an honest American account of the
Korean War see “The Secret History of the Korean War” by I.F. Stone.
17. Indo-China War. Australia committed troops t the Indo-China war as
part of its “insurance policy” for future US military support and 520
died. The Indo-China War was associated with violent civilian deaths
totaling up to 4 million (Vietnam), 0.6 million (Cambodia.) and 0.2
million (Laos). Military dead included 0.3 million (South Vietnam),
58,000 (US) and 1.2 million (North Vietnam). However avoidable deaths
from war-imposed deprivation totaled 11.9 million (Vietnam), 3.9
million (Cambodia) and 1.1 million (Laos). The bombing of Cambodia
ultimately led to the Cambodian Genocide in which 1.5 million people
were killed.
18. Iraq Sanctions War, Gulf War, Iraq War and Iraqi Genocide.
Australia was involved in the Gulf War and Sanctions War against Iraq
(1990-2003) and invaded Iraq in 2003. Post-1990 Iraqi violent deaths
totaled 1.7 million, avoidable deaths from deprivation totaled 2.9
million for a total of 4.6 million violent deaths plus excess deaths
from war-imposed deprivation, 1990-2012. Since 1990 under-5 infant
deaths totaled 2.0 million (90% avoidable and due to US Alliance
war crimes) and there have been 5-6 million refugees. 3 Australian
servicemen died (Google “Iraqi Holocaust, Iraqi Genocide”).
19. Afghan War and Afghan Genocide. Australia has been a participant
in the Afghan War (2001-2012) as in all other post-1950 US Asian wars.
The Afghan War has been associated with 5.6 million post-invasion
deaths (1.4 million violent deaths plus 4.2 million excess deaths from
war-imposed deprivation), 2.9 million post-invasion under-5 infant
deaths (90% avoidable and due to US Alliance war crimes in gross
violation of the Geneva Convention) and 3-4 million refugees. 2.5
million Pashtun refugees were generated by US war in NW Pakistan,
noting that 0.9 million Pakistanis die avoidably every year from
deprivation-related causes and Pakistan has been devastated for
2 years in succession by massive floods that directly impacted 20
million people. Australia was involved militarily in the Afghan War
since 2001 and 32 Australian soldiers have been killed. In contrast,
12 million Muslims have been killed violently or from war-imposed
deprivation since 1990 in the Australia- and Zionist-backed US War
on Muslims. The Afghan War is part of an Australia-complicit US
Asian Genocide – Australia has been involved in all post-1950 US
Asian wars, wars that have been associated so far with about 40
million violent deaths plus deaths from war-imposed deprivation,
the breakdown being 5.2 million (Korea), 15.3 million (Vietnam),
1.2 million (Laos), 6.0 million (Cambodia, including the Cambodian
Genocide), 4.6 million (Iraq), Palestine (0.3 million), 5.6 million
(Afghanistan) i.e. about 38 million, much greater than the number of
Slavs, Jews and Gypsies murdered by the Nazis in WW2 (Google “Afghan
Holocaust, Afghan Genocide”).
20- War on Drugs. Australia is involved in the phony US War on Drugs.
Annual Australian deaths from drugs include 15,500 smoking-related
deaths , 3,000 alcohol-related deaths, and 360 (opiate drug-related
deaths annually due to Australia-complicit US restoration of
the Taliban-destroyed Afghan opium industry that has so far been
associated with 1 million deaths world-wide, 200,000 American deaths,
18,000 British deaths and 3,700 Australian deaths. Yet smoking and
alcohol are legal in Australia and Australia spends about $2 billion
each year on its involvement in the Afghan War that imposes a deadly
scourge of 100,000 opiate drug-related deaths annually on the world.
21. War on Terror and 66,000 Australian preventable deaths. annually.
Since 2001 US lackey Australia has spent about $30 billion on
anti-terrorism, measures (see Ross Gittins, “A vast cost in feeling
just a little more secure”, Sydney Morning Herald, National Times,
14 September 2011In addition Australia has spent about $20 billion
on the Iraq War and the Afghan War, and all this notwithstanding
expert science, engineering, architecture, aviation, military and
intelligence advice that the US did 9-11, quite likely with Israeli
assistance Google “Experts: US did 9-11”). Yet each year about 66,000
Australians die preventable, lives that could potentially be saved
due to better medical services including better social assistance,
education and preventive medicine, the breakdown being 18,000 (annual
Australian deaths from adverse hospital events), 15,500 (smoking),
10,000 carbon burning pollution-derived ), 9.000 (avoidable Indigenous
Australian deaths), 6,000 obesity-related), 3,000 ( alcohol-related),
2,100 (suicides), 1,400 (road deaths), 360 (opiate drug-related deaths
annually due to US restoration of the Taliban-destroyed Afghan opium
industry) and 300 (homicides). With 9,000 excess Indigenous deaths
annually and over 100,000 excess deaths in the last dozen years of
pro-war Coalition or Labor rule, there have more avoidable Indigenous
deaths so far in the 21st century than Australian military deaths in
all wars (Google “Aboriginal Genocide” ). .
22. War on Terra. Australia is a world leader in annual per capita
greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution that threatens the world with a
climate genocide that is a predicted to kill 10 billion people this
century due to unaddressed, man-made climate change (Google “Climate
Genocide”) . Thus in 2009 the WBGU which advises the German Government
on climate change estimated that for a 75% chance of avoiding a 2C
temperature rise (EU policy; would you board a plane with a 25% chance
of crashing?), the world must emit no more than 600 billion tones of
CO2 between 2010 and zero emissions in 2050. Unfortunately Australia
has already used up its “fair share” of the world’s “terminal GHG
pollution budget” and is effectively stealing the entitlement of
other countries, including impoverished countries such as Somalia
and Bangladesh (see Dr Gideon Polya, “Shocking analysis by country of
years left to zero emissions”, Green Blog, 1 August 2011). 18 million
people die avoidably each year in the Developing World’s minus China,
but this is increasingly befoul-impacted (befoul genocide) as the
legislatively-mandated US, UK and EU biofuel perversion forces up
global food prices. Australia is a major sugar cane grower and sugar
exporter with 60% of sugar going to bioethanol production worldwide,
and Australia has biofuel-promoting legislation. In terms of “fossil
fuel-derived annual per capita CO2 pollution” Australia is about
29 times worse than India and 71 times worse than Bangladesh if you
include Australia’s world leading coal exports.
Conclusions
Australia has been variously involved in British and thence American
wars for over 2 centuries. However these wars have involved mass
murder of huge numbers of Indigenous civilians. Thus Australia has
been involved in all post-1950 US Asian wars, wars that have been
associated so far with about 38 million violent deaths plus deaths from
war-imposed deprivation, noting that most of these deaths have been
of women and children Outstanding Jewish American scholar Professor
Jared Diamond in his best-selling book “Collapse” (Prologue, p10,
Penguin edition) enunciated the “moral principle, namely that it is
morally wrong for one people to dispossess, subjugate, or exterminate
another people” – an injunction grossly violated by racist Australian
warmongers and their warmongering British, NATO, Apartheid Israeli and
US associates. Neocon American and Zionist Imperialist (NAZI)-beholden
Australia lead the charge for US-NATO military intervention in Libya
(0.1 million deaths, 1.3 million refugees) and is a leader in world
hostility to Iran and Syria… Australia recently permitted 2,500
child-killing US Marines to be based in Darwin (see “Hey, hey,
USA, how many kids did you kill today? Answer: 1,000”, Bellaciao,
1 May 2009) and has adumbrated greater use of Australian airfields
and ports for the nuclear terrorist US war machine, including the
possible conversion of the Indian Ocean Cocos-Keeling Islands paradise
(halfway between India and Australia) into a US air force base for
spying on and bombing Asian countries.
24 April (Armenian Genocide Day) and 25 April (Australian Anzac Day)
illustrate Australia’s secret genocide history and forgotten war
history. The Armenian Genocide in which 1.5 million Armenians perished
started the night before the Australian invasion of Gallipoli on 25
April 1915 that had been preceded by months of Allied shelling of
the Dardanelles. Yet the connection between young Australia’s most
iconic war-time tragedy and the genocidal destruction of the ancient
Armenian people is never made on Anzac Day in look-the-other-way,
aren’t-we-nice Australia in a continuing process of genocide ignoring
and holocaust ignoring that is far, far worse than repugnant genocide
denial and holocaust denial – at least denial admits the possibility
of debate. Neocon Western warmongers are complicit in the mass murder
of millions of women and children. Who is next – the Syrian women
and children, the Iranian women and children …? Tell everyone you
can about the horrendous civilian deaths associated with war.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
