On The Day Of The Massacre Of Pontic Greeks, Turkey Celebrates Sport And Youth

May 19, 1919, was the beginning of the war of independence. But this war of independence was not a war of liberation of an empire from imperialism, but rather a war of liberation from Greeks remaining in areas near the Black Sea and in Asia Minor.

This day is celebrated in Turkey as a holiday of sport and youth. But perhaps coincidentally, on May 19, 1919, the massacre of the Greeks living near the Black Sea was committed.

The massacre of the Pontic Greeks consisted of three stages – the slaughter of 353,000 Greeks, their exile, and the assimilation of survivors. The language, religion, names, and settlements of surviving Greeks were to correspond to Turkish and Muslim identities.

For 100 years, the Turkish state has denied the fact of this genocide, as it has denied other genocides committed by the Ottoman Empire.