Jean-Louis Hanff: More than ten years ago, I witnessed the ongoing persecution of Christians in the Middle East. This reality led me to want to learn more about their history, particularly that of Sayfo, but also that of the Armenian Genocide. More recently, the tragedy experienced by the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, uprooted from their land, has only strengthened this conviction.

My encounters with Syriac, Armenian, and Pontic Greek people then gave a human face to this history. I discovered deep wounds, but also a remarkable commitment to memory, faith, and the transmission of this history.

Ultimately, this initiative aligns with the foundation of my political engagement — the conviction that every human being possesses inalienable dignity and that religious freedom, like freedom of conscience, must be defended everywhere and for everyone.

I also believe that the duty to remember begins at the local level. A municipality is often the first place where history is passed down. In Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, this motion is part of a tradition of remembrance, from the memorials for the victims of the Holocaust, the resistance fighters against the Nazis, the 8 May ceremonies, Samuel Paty, to hosting the Sayfo 1915 Exhibition organized by the European Syriac Union, to whom I extend my warmest thanks.

SyriacPress: What message do you wish to send to the Belgian federal government and the other municipalities of the country through this initiative?

JLH: My message is simple: it’s time. Recognizing the Syriac and Pontic Greek Genocides is a requirement of historical truth, justice, and consistency. It is not to reopen old wounds or to point the finger at the perpetrators of today. It simply means that we face history head-on.

I would also like to commend the remarkable work carried out for many years by federal MP Michel De Maegd, who has been tirelessly advocating for this recognition in the Federal Parliament.

I hope that other municipalities will follow suit. Local authorities have a vital role to play in preserving and transmitting our collective memory. Everyone has a part to play.

SP: What tangible impact could recognition have on the duty of remembrance, the fight against genocide denial, and the protection of minorities today?

JLH: Official recognition will not change the past. However, it will prevent this past from being relativized or forgotten.

It will also give this history its rightful place in the transmission of knowledge to younger generations, at a time when the teaching of certain genocides is sometimes subject to tension or pressure. A democracy can never accept that fear sets the limits of knowledge.

This recognition is also a message for the present. The Armenian exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh, the violence that continues to affect Christians in the Middle East, such as the attack on the Saint Elias Church in Damascus, remind us that religious minorities remain vulnerable.

Recognizing these genocides does not mean we forget others. On the contrary. A memory that acknowledges all victims strengthens our vigilance against today’s persecutions and helps prevent those of tomorrow.

SP: If this motion is adopted, do you plan to take other concrete initiatives in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert to preserve the memory of the genocide of the Syriacs and Pontic Greeks, or to encourage other Belgian municipalities to follow this example?

JLH: Absolutely. I hope, first and foremost, that this motion, if it passes, will inspire other municipalities in Belgium, pending official recognition by the federal government.

In Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, I am convinced that we will continue to support initiatives that allow us to pass on this memory. This motion calls for the teaching of the Sayfo Genocide and all the genocides of 1915. It is a powerful gesture. It also calls for a genuine condemnation of the denial of the 1915 genocides. Personally, I would also like to see a memorial established one day to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian, Syriac, and Pontic Greek genocides within our municipality. Recognition of the genocides by the Belgian state will help.

I believe that the duty to remember is never a one-time act. It is a commitment that is built over time.

SP: Finally, what message would you like to send to the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) and Pontic Greek communities, whose ancestors were victims of these genocides?

JLH: First, I would like to thank them. Thank you for continuing, generation after generation, to pass on a history that some sought to erase. Thank you for keeping alive a memory that now transcends your own communities.

I would also like to tell them that they are not alone. Their history is now part of our shared history, and their fight for the truth is profoundly legitimate.

Finally, I want to tell them that there are people in Belgium who will continue to defend this memory, not out of a spirit of revenge or resentment toward any particular group, but because a free society can only be built on truth, justice, and respect for human dignity. And because, ultimately, defending the memory of a people is always defending the dignity of all human beings.