Syriac Progressive Youth Union hold memorial in Hasakah in North and East Syria on 106th anniversary of Sayfo Genocide

HASAKAH, Syria — The Hasakah branch of the Progressive Syriac Youth Union held a memorial event for the 106th anniversary of the Sayfo Genocide in the Naserah neighborhood entitled ‘Sayfo in the Memory of Youth’.

The event was attended by a large gathering of Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people as well as the institutions of the Beth Nahrin National Council (MUB) in Hasakah. The event began with a minute of silence for the souls of martyrs followed by a speech by Syriac Progress Youth Union official Sobhi Malki in which he pointed out the importance of youth in the remembrance of the Sayfo. Malki also pointed to the impact of the massacres on the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people to this day. He stressed in his speech the need to be vocal about the Sayfo regionally and internationally.

At the end of his speech, Malki thanked the Youth and Sports Authority of Gozarto (Jazinra) Region and participating parties and associations for supporting the memorial.

A silent dance about the Sayfo was performed by the Syriac Folkloric band Barmaya in which it expressed the events of the genocide. A poem by Memra Qass Ibrahim entitled ‘A’Suhdi’ about the martyrs of the Sayfo was also recited.

The event concluded with a 20-minute film about the Sayfo followed by a candlelit march by attendees to the Sayfo Martyrs Memorial.

I visited the #Seyfo monument with members of the @SyriacMFS. Listen to @Orom_Maroge explain the parallels between the policies of the Ottoman Empire and modern-day Turkey, especially regarding persecution of #Christians and other minorities. pic.twitter.com/JfBSu5lcrj

— Doktora Amy Austin Holmes (@AmyAustinHolmes) July 19, 2019