A Wellington man who claims police threatened to trespass him from an Anzac Day memorial if he displayed an Armenian flag in memory of genocide victims says it is “shameful”.
He said the exclusion kowtowed to an authoritarian Turkish regime, while a lawyer said it trampled on fundamental human rights.
Meanwhile, the Christchurch City Council has shot down a proposal for a flag pole, citing international relations implications for flying certain contentious flags.
The genocide of a million Armenians by the rulers of the Ottoman empire is one of the terrible chapters of human history. Turkey disputes the number killed and the label genocide, but most scholars on the topic and many countries recognise the events as a genocide.
For a few years, without incident, Richard Noble has gone to Wellington’s Ataturk memorial on Anzac day to silently protest the New Zealand government’s lack of formal recognition of the extermination.
This year he introduced himself to a police officer on site letting him know he was going to hold his Armenian flag, but he was told doing so would be offensive to Turkish officials.
Masses of Armenians were deported from Erzurum during WWI, many into the desert, and few survived. Photo: Viktor Pietschmann.
Noble said the officer told him he had been authorised by the Wellington City Council to trespass anyone with an Armenian flag – on the request of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Turkish Embassy – something they both deny.
“It was a shameful and expedient move by council to circumvent my freedom of _expression_ guaranteed under … [the] Bill of Rights in order to protect the sensibilities of an authoritarian and repressive regime,” Noble told a council meeting yesterday.
Noble said he left the council owned area that day, but stood out on the public road with his flag.
He said he was an RSA member and his grandfather fought and was wounded at Gallipoli – and his action was in no way to disparage the solemnity of the event.
Richard Noble protesting for recognition of the Armenian genocide, at the Ataturk Memorial in 2017 Photo: Supplied/ Richard Noble
Wellington City Council said it supported the rights of people to protest, and that it delegated trespass authority to Police on Anzac Day.
It denied ever being asked to stop or dissuade those protesting against Turkey.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry and Turkey’s Embassy also denied making any request – and MFAT said no such request was made to it by the Turkish Embassy.
The police said “they were made aware a flag the man intended to display could be offensive to people of Turkish heritage attending the service”.
It said a senior officer told Noble he would be asked to leave if he displayed the flag, and he could be arrested for trespass if he did not comply, but he was welcome to stay if he kept the flag away.
“The man has has then left the service without incident. He was not arrested or issued with a trespass notice.”
Human rights lawyer Douglas Ewen said the officer’s actions were totally inappropriate.
He said it was hard to find rights in the Bill of Rights that were not being impinged upon.
“I find it remarkable to say the least that the police officer thought this was a good idea – that police officer needs some re-training.”
Ewen said it would not hold water in court, and the fact Noble’s protest was at an Anzac event changed nothing.
He said it was a was a terrible idea for the council to devolve power in this way.
University of Auckland senior politics lecturer Maria Armoudian said a large number of her family was wiped out in the genocide and the incident on Anzac day was traumatising.
“It is devastating for us, … deeply disturbed by this.
“Your wounds can’t heal without some kind of acknowledgement that what happened in the past was wrong.
“We just want our history acknowledged and everything that was taken from us, and taken in the most brutal and violating ways – that’s not that much to ask for.”
Armoudian wants an apology from police.
New Zealand has to strike a difficult balance while sticking up for human rights in the face of mass arrests and other human rights abuses by Turkey’s leader President Tayyip Erdogan.
There was a serious falling out between the countries when the New Zealand’s ambassador last year joined nine international diplomats calling for the release of a jailed Turkish businessman and philanthropist.
It has [https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/anzac-alarm-why-commemorations-at-gallipoli-are-under-threat/E7J5C57Y3DJUWA33FE6VFPCBQ4/
raised the spectre] of New Zealand being denied access to the Gallipoli peninsula for official Anzac celebrations.
Meanwhile, authorities in other parts of New Zealand are feeling pressure to avoid offending overseas powers.
The Christchurch City Council has denied permission to a community board to reinstate a flag over a Sumner community centre.
A council memo cites the cost and possible impact to international relations if the flags of Taiwan, Tibet or West Papua were flown.
It said there were no flags managed by the council in other suburbs, besides the city’s airport which displays the city’s sister-city national flags, so there needed to be a strong rationale for installing one in one suburb but not others.
Christchurch has seven sister cities, including two in China.
Christchurch City Council’s head of the office of the mayor and chief executive, Jonathan King, said the memo was not provided to the mayor and councillors prior to it being sent to the community board.
Councillors have informally expressed concern about the protocols and have asked staff to review them, King said.