George Clooney: Who today remembers the Armenians? The whole world

George Clooney: Who today remembers the Armenians? The whole world –

Armradio – “Years before anyone uttered the word genocide, there was Armenia. Although the actual world was yet to be introduced, we were well aware of its characteristics,” Co-Chair of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee, Oscar-winning actor George Clooney said at the Aurora Award ceremony.

“Cruelty has always been at the core, not self-defense, not simply war, but a deliberate destruction of an entire people. It happened to Armenians starting 101 years ago, and we’ve seen it repeat all over the world since – Germany, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda,” he added.

“I’ve first seen it in the broken families, the broken hearts of the people of Darfur. I’ve seen what mankind is capable of at its worst. But I’ve also seen something else, something much stronger than hate. I’ve seen bravely, kindness and incredible acts of love. Today we celebrate the best examples of that. The simple truth is that all of us  are a result of someone’s act of kindness,” Mr. Clooney said.

“Hitler once famously said “But who today remembers the Armenians?  The answer is “The whole world.”

George Clooney

“My family, the Clooney family fled a potato farm in Ireland to come to the United States, where the simple survival required a room, a meal and a helping hand. We all stand on the shoulders of good people, who didn’t look away, when we were in need.  We’ve always been given this gift called humanity at some point in history,” he added.

“Today’s award celebrates heroism and bravery. Our nominees did not graduate from some hero school. They are everyday people, who saw a need and did something about it, something extraordinary. We honor them today and in doing so we honor 1.5 lives that were lost 101 year ago. We honor those lives by calling that tragedy by its true name – genocide, the Armenian Genocide,” George Clooney stressed.

“Hitler once famously said “But who remembers the Armenians?  The answer is “The whole world.”

George Clooney presented a $1.1 million award on the 101st anniversary of the Armenians Genocide to a Burundi woman who offered sanctuary to thousands of orphans in the middle of a civil war there.