Tal Buenos delivers a momentous speech at NSW Parliament

Tal Buenos

ATA-A Media Release

4 December 2014

Israeli scholar Tal Buenos delivers a momentous speech at the NSW Parliament

I am not a big-time barrister in London, I am not even a recording artist. This is not a gig for me. I am committed to studying facts. I am finding them.

Israeli scholar of international politics, Tal Buenos, has taken aim at celebrity barrister, Geoffrey Robertson QC, and other media personalities who have jumped on the genocide “recognition” bandwagon.

Tal, in a recent speech over lunch to NSW Parliamentarians, in the Parliament House, called into question the accusation of genocide and denial against Turks. In a wide ranging, and well researched presentation, Tal also debunked the comparisons made between the Armenian experience and the Holocaust, and pointed at the politicisation of history that is inherent to such comparison.

The term “denier” is part of an attempt to silence any dissent on this topic, and to delegitimise any scholarly work on the topic that does not conform to the established orthodoxy. Tal drew a clear distinction between those who question whether the events of 1915-1916 could be called a genocide, and the very real menace of Holocaust denialism. Unlike Holocaust deniers – denialists in the true sense of the word – the Turkish Government is not denying the factual events.

Tal studies how the term genocide – its origin and current misuse – is tied with political purpose. Contrary to accepted wisdom, he asserts that promoting the events of 1915-1916 as a case of genocide is in fact a political game, aimed at keeping pressure on the Turkish Government.

Tal also canvassed the material facts of the events themselves. He presented a fresh, original view of what has become, at times, a tired and sterile debate.

Mr Buenos gave the speech as a guest of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Turkey on Monday November 24th, 2014. A complete transcript of his speech is available on our website , or download a PDF copy here .

Should you wish any further information regarding this issue, or Tal Buenos’ speaking tour in Australia, please contact us.