The Watertown Tab and Press
Watertown, MA
Tuesday May 13, 2008
Newton’s David Boyajian recognized for role in countering genocide denial
By James E. Walker
WATERTOWN – The Governor’s Council issued a resolution at the
Massachusetts State House on April 30 honoring Newton resident David
Boyajian for his role in the campaign against the Anti-Defamation
League’s denial of the Armenian Genocide and for questioning the
appropriateness of towns’ affiliation with the ADL’s No Place for Hate
anti-bias program.
The resolution was introduced by Marilyn Petitto Devaney, a Governor’s
Council member and Watertown Town Councilor.
The resolution cited Boyajian’s leadership in `successful efforts to
have communities sever ties with the ADL’s No Place for Hate and to
end the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s sponsorship’ of the
program. The resolution further described the ADL’s opposition to
Congressional affirmation of the Armenian Genocide as `depriving the
Armenians of their history.’
The ADL has yet to unambiguously acknowledge the genocide and has
opposed recognition of it by the U.S. Congress.
Boyajian, Armenian-Americans and human rights advocates have argued
that No Place for Hate’s human rights mission is incompatible with the
stance of the ADL on the widely recognized genocide committed against
Armenians by Turkey from 1915 to 1923.
Boyajian’s letter in the Watertown TAB on July 6, 2007, and his
subsequent activism sparked the issue, which soon became international
news.
In acceptance remarks, Boyajian thanked the Armenian National
Committee of America for its efforts in the campaign and praised `the
human rights commissioners, elected officials and citizens’ in the
towns that dropped No Place for Hate. Boyajian urged people to `strive
for consistency, not selectivity, in recognizing genocide and human
rights violations.’
He also thanked the people `even in other countries, of all ethnic,
religious and political backgrounds’ who supported the campaign to
censure the ADL.
Boyajian singled out `Jewish Americans who have stood for principle’
by criticizing the ADL `when they could have remained silent.’
He concluded by saying, `If you think you see injustice, speak
up. Individuals and organizations will hear you, and sometimes the
world may wind up being a better place because of it.’
About 50 people attended the proceedings, many of them
Armenian-Americans. A group of Wellesley High School political
science students on a field trip to the State House also
attended. Wellesley is affiliated with No Place for Hate.
Watertown decertified its No Place for Hate on Aug. 11, 2007. In the
months following, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Lexington, Medford,
Needham, Newburyport, Newton, Northampton, Peabody, Somerville and
Westwood followed suit.
The Massachusetts Municipal Association, the umbrella organization for
the state’s cities and towns, voted April 8 to cease its sponsorship
of all No Place for Hate programs. The program still exists, however,
in more than 40 Massachusetts municipalities and in several states,
including California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.
The ADL established No Place for Hate in 1999 in Massachusetts towns
and owns the federal trademark for the program’s name.
On April 22, the Watertown Town Council issued a proclamation
sponsored by Council President Clyde Younger also honoring Boyajian
for his journalism and activism regarding genocide denial.
In a recent article in TAB newspapers, Boyajian called on Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Massachusetts to stop funding No Place for Hate and to
drop its designation as a No Place for Hate company.