4654 - Massive displacement as a tool of extermination

N. Lygeros

Very often, in the lectures given by the genociders of the Jewish people as well as of the Armenian, Pontian or Ukrainian people, we see only indirect references to the extermination which is, nevertheless, a real fact. They prefer to use the pretentious euphemism, that is to say, massive displacement. In the societies of oblivion and indifference, this suffices so as not to be accused of a crime against humanity. This arises from the fact that very few persons understand that massive displacement is a weapon of extermination; because, in order to better exterminate nations one firstly has to displace them massively. Massive displacement leaves fewer traces; because men are uprooted and separated from their potential witnesses. By displacing them, the genociders transform men into “unknowns” in order to finally transform them into victims without leaving any traces. In the very act of the crime against humanity, there already exists the negation of the crime, as Bernard-Henry Lévy has justly pointed out. So, the massive displacement is part of this negation, as it represents an attempt to create a massive oblivion. By taking away the reference points from men, the system creates a neutralized area, where the unknowns are left without witnesses. The Nazis, as supreme genociders through the Final Solution, had even converted those neutralized areas into concentration camps, which became extermination camps. Massive displacements are, therefore, not an end in itself but in fact, a means of transformation. So, it would be more accurate to speak of massive transformations. This semiotic clarification would allow for a better understanding of the crime against humanity and it is in this that the distinctiveness of genocide consists. Men would better appreciate the arguments of the defenders of human rights. In fact, the essential question they should ask themselves is simple: do massive displacements constitute a form of movement organized by the system? For, in some societies, these displacements are only a massive form of colonization. Admittedly, these very same societies forget very rapidly that colonization, too, can be considered as a crime of war. In any case, it is obvious that under no circumstances does this movement correspond to the mental schema produced by the concept of massive displacement. On the contrary, it would be useful and, in fact, wise to bear in mind that for the specialists in genocide, and not only for the peace fighters, the massive displacements registered in the secret archives of the genocidal states serve as indications. Because after all, who has the right to massively displace populations and in the name of what? The Armenians and the Pontians were displaced by the Ottomans and Kemal. The Ukrainians were displaced by the Soviets and Stalin. The Jews were displaced by the Nazis and Hitler. In all these cases, the same mental schema was used and, what is more, the same objective was set. The only difference is the “evolution” of the method of the crime, but the crime against humanity remains. The methodology of massive displacements only accuses those executioners of humanity in a more severe way, because this adds to the systematic character of the destruction. So, it is an essential element for the trial. This is a real exhibit against the genociders. Therefore, it is useless to hide behind this expression, which cannot really be considered as a euphemism. We have to realise the gravity of the argument so as to fight efficiently against every form of negation.