The Golden Chain of Mercy

Abstract

This article seeks to situate the Assembly’s resolutions (2015) to do with the Armenian genocide within a broader historical context than is possible in a resolution and its rationale. For that reason it notes that the ‘annihilation’ that took place between 1915 and 1923 was foreshadowed by the Hamidian massacres of the 1890s. The particular focus of this article is on the Australian response to the plight of the Arminians who were understood to be  a Christian minority within the Islamic Ottoman empire. The arrest of leaders began on the 24th April, 1915 – that is, on the eve of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli. The churches played a significant role in the subsequent humanitarian relief. The denominations that came into the Uniting Church ere most active (though their actions now seem to be lost on the memory of the contemporary church). They participated in ‘the golden chain of mercy’, supported the sending of a ship to assist with food, goods, medicines. The Australasian churches were responsible for running a large orphanage at Antilyas, north of Beirut. The decision of the Assembly to recognize what unfolded places it inside a contested discussion as to what constitutes a genocide. Thirty-four countries have acknowledged such, but not the Australian government which has tended to prioritize post-war reconciliation with Turkiye and the construction of Australian identify on the basis of the Anzac myth. Most western historians agree that it was a genocide, even though the term was not invented until 1943.