Not glorifying war, but exposing its horrors
ANZAC DAY
It seems Ohad Kozminsky (″ Pro-Palestine group urges: teach Anzac atrocities ″, 25/4) may never have experienced an Anzac Day ceremony, attended a school that discusses the historical struggles of Australian soldiers, or spoken with a digger.
I've attended – and performed at – many such ceremonies, and I can assure him Anzac Day does not ″glorify war″. It is a day that seeks to expose the horrors of war: lawless chaos, senseless slaughter and the endless suffering it causes. That's why we say ″never forget″.
Atrocities are committed in every war, including those currently ravaging the Middle East and Eastern Europe. This harsh reality does not diminish the courage of those who fight with honour, nor the truth that their sacrifices have secured the freedoms we enjoy, such as the right to vote and live in a multicultural society.
Anzac Day is not about blind nationalism or rewriting history. To claim otherwise is to reduce a complex day of remembrance to a simplistic, distorted caricature and to impose a divisive ideology on a day meant to unite. It is a time to honour sacrifice, recognise suffering and reflect – not with guilt, but with humility and pride.
Simon Tedeschi, Newtown, NSW
Ignorance and bigotry never goes away
The booing at the Anzac Day dawn service by those allegedly associated with neo-Nazi groups has been rightly condemned (″ Neo-Nazi arrested as 'frankly disgraceful' stunts mar Anzac Day dawn services ″, 25/4).
That Nazi scourge against which we fought had at its heart in the past: racial loathing, a sensed superiority and ultimately systematic state-sanctioned murder, and it is clear its ignorant and bigoted ways still have a potential to raise its head.
This might be a salutary time to reflect more broadly on the mostly male predilection toward mindlessness and violence in so many areas: towards women, refugees, indigenous populations, children, the disadvantaged, difference, fact-based decisions et al. And, when choosing a new government have in mind issues that don't just start and end with mammon.
Graeme Foley, Werribee
Giving protesters what they crave
What a shame the ABC chose to repeatedly highlight in its news coverage the abhorrent behaviour of a few at the Melbourne dawn service.
By doing so, not only was the reverence of the day diminished but those who disrupted the service got exactly what they sought – publicity.
Mandy Bridges, Barwon Heads
Is this how we behave?
I hope no politician will declare the booing at the welcome to country ceremony at the Anzac Day dawn service in Melbourne yesterday was 'un-Australian'.
Unfortunately, it is Australian. All the people who voted against the Voice were Australian.
Sandra Crockett, New Gisborne
Anzac Day bias on show
Having attended the dawn service and listening afterwards to the ABC commentary on the so-called disruption during the opening address by an Indigenous leader, I am compelled to comment. As with everything, there are always two sides to a story.
Keeping to its long-continued bias, the ABC chose only one side. The large screen beside us, from 5.25am heralded the commencement of the service. At 5.32am, the invited Indigenous speaker commenced his address, telling us his mother was from one region, his father from another, then tributes to other tribal areas, far and wide.
Not once throughout the whole address, which lasted several minutes, was the reason why we were assembled mentioned, to honour the memories of those who had fought and fallen in the defence of our wonderful country.
It would be difficult to encounter a more divisive speech than the one delivered at the Shrine this Anzac morning. There was raucous shouting from a group within the crowd, but also, in my opinion, there was a totally inappropriate address at the commencement of the service. A brief acknowledgement of Native title is apt. A political diatribe is not.
Henry Glennie, Melbourne
Realistic curriculum
It is appropriate that a teaching resource 'Challenging Anzac Day' is being developed to challenge the glorification of war which is often associated with Anzac day (″Pro-Palestine group urges: teach Anzac atrocities″, 25/4).
If people were provided with the truth of the horrors of conflicts, particularly the effects on innocent civilians, they may have second thoughts about engaging in wars.
In relation to Palestine today, much of the western world is silent in the face of the Israeli atrocities currently being inflicted on children, women, health workers and others.
This is not the way towards world peace. A more factual and unbiased analysis of conflicts is essential to prevent the perpetration of war atrocities. The teaching of a more realistic curriculum in relation to Anzac Day could be a good start.
Leigh Ackland, Deepdene
Apt history lesson
My great-uncle was wounded at Gallipoli and I have always admired the exceptional courage of Australian soldiers, but the 1918 massacre of Palestinians at Sarafand by the Light Horse, followed by the burning of villages in Egypt, highlights a tendency towards mindless support for racist imperialism.
As historian Peter Stanley comments, the Light Horse was 'used as part of an imperial military force' (25/4).
The emphasis should be on 'used' – the Light Horse were mostly poorly educated country boys who believed they were off to have a jolly stoush and be home by Christmas.
It's important to educate ourselves about this history because discredited empires in decline have a habit of using brave soldiers in their front lines.
Caroline Graham, Cromer, NSW
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