THE IRISH ARMENIA, THE BRITISH TURKS

New Zealand Tablet, 18 August 1921, Page 11

THE IRISH ARMENIA, THE BRITISH TURKS

The able and fearless Manchester Guardian, sensitive of the reputation of Britons, expresses the hope that Americans do not confound Ireland with Armenia or the British with Turks. Unfortunately, the hope is vain (says America). All impartial Americans consider that the present difference between Armenia . and Ireland consists . in the fact that the outrages perpetrated in the former country outrank those committed in Ireland, in number only. In nature the crimes are the same. The Turks murder Armenian children, the British murder Irish children; the Turks seize Armenian women and girls by night and maltreat them, the British seize Irish women and girls by night and maltreat them; the Turks torture Armenian youths with pincers, and in other savage fashions, the British torture Irish youths with pincers, and in other savage fashions; the Turks drag innocent Armenians from their beds and slay them, in the presence of their wives and children, the British drag innocent . Irishmen from their beds and slay them in the presence of their wives and children; the Turks deport Armenians and cast them into prison without charge or warrant, the British deport Irish people and cast them into prison without charge or warrant; the Turks burn Armenian crops, destroy Armenian factories, drive Armenian women and children from their homes: the British burn Irish crops, destroy Irish factories, drive Irish women and children from their homes; the Turks lay waste Armenian cities, towns, and villages, the British lay waste Irish cities, towns, and villages; the Turks raid convents and slay priests, the British raid convents and slay priests. Can the Manchester Guardian list one Turkish crime that cannot he matched or over-matched by a British crime? Impossible. But the Turk can list a British crime which cannot be matched by a Turkish crime. The British not only rape, torture, starve, slay their victims, but they also defend these acts. The Turks never do this, they admit their crimes, they glory in them. The British paint their beastly excesses as virtues done in behalf of law, order, civilisation, and decency, outraged by the Irish victims, some of whom are little girls, wicked with all wickedness of Irish country children who have reached the mature ago of eight and ten years and are, of course, adepts in all the vileness and violence that threaten law, order, civilisation, and decency. Surely the British, at least British officials, are Turks with this only difference, the latter are not hypocrites, but just plain, every-day brutes.