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Hundreds rally as council approves genocide memorial - SEE THE VIDEO 16 Dec, 2009 01:48 PM Hundreds of Assyrian and Turkish residents who had gathered outside the council offices were separated by dozens of police on Tuesday night while Fairfield Council approved the building of a genocide memorial in a Bonnyrigg park. No objections were raised to the construction of the 4.5metre high statue and councillors voted unanimously for the construction of the monument to go ahead. The proposal has divided the community, with many residents of Turkish background saying the issue had become ``personal''. Turkan Ozturk, 36, joined the hundreds of Turkish supporters in the car park outside the council chambers who gathered before the meeting. The mother of two from Hinchinbrook, who was with other family members, including her children, said it was the first time she had attended a council meeting or joined a rally. ``I feel so strongly about it,'' she said. ``I don't agree with what the Assyrians are saying about the genocide. ``If the monument goes ahead it will divide the community, and the community has always worked together and lived together. ``For years I have had Assyrian friends, but this sets up dividers.'' Deputy Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance, Hermiz Shahen, said he was pleased that ``despite strong objections by certain elements'' the application to erect the monument would now go ahead. He said the construction of the memorial would begin soon, and was expected to be completed in May 2010. ``Every year, on August 7, Assyrians all over the world including our community in Fairfield gather to commemorate the Assyrian martyrs and genocide remembrance day to honour the memory of the victims of the Assyrian genocide,'' he said. As the hundreds of Assyrians who gathered outside the council office to hear the council's decision cheered and chanted when the decision was announced, the Reverand Fred Nile appeared through the council doors. Rev Nile said he had prepared a speech in support of the memorial to present to the council, but did not have to read it on the night. He said he felt ``strongly'' about the need to recognise the genocide and he had supported similar calls by the Armenian population. But he stressed that he hoped the Turkish community would understand that the recognition the Assyrian community was striving to achieve ``has nothing to do with the modern nation of Turkey''. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE COUNCIL'S DECISION? The conditions The council approved the construction of the Assyrian genocide memorial in a park in Bonnyrigg based on the following six conditions: 1. The Assyrian Universal Alliance is to be responsible for all costs associated with the statue, plaque and garden bed – including design, installation, site investigations and preparatory works. 2. The Alliance is also to be responsible for all costs associated with routine maintenance, graffiti removal, repairs (including vandalism) and renewal of the statue and plaque and all costs associated with weeding, cleaning, planting and landscaping of the garden bed. 3. The statue is to be located in the vicinity of the intersection of Elizabeth Drive and Smithfield Road. The total height of the monument will not exceed 4.5m. 4. The Alliance is to meet the cost of path paving within the park to support visitors to the statue. 5. While the Alliance proposes to hold a commemorative event associated with the statue as part of Remembrance Day on August 7 each year, a specific application for a local activity approval will need to be lodged with the Council for consideration. 6. The detailed design of the statue shall comply with Council’s “General Design Considerations for Proposed Artworks in Public Places” to ensure its safety. |