Parliament to be lit Black and Red to Commemorate Pontian Genocide on Sunday
The Hellenic Parliament will be lit black and red on Sunday night to mark Remembrance Day for the Genocide of the Pontian Greeks, held each year in Greece on May 19. According to a parliament announcement, the red and black "symbolise the blood of the genocide's innocent victims and the lasting mourning."
"This is the first time that the Hellenic Parliament is undertaking this symbolic act, stating the undimmed historic remembrance and the ongoing demand for historical restitution, on the occasion of the completion of 100 years since the second and most horrific phase of the extermination of the Greeks of Asia Minor's Pontus," it said. A special session of the parliament plenary will be held on Monday at noon for Remembrance Day of the Genocide of Pontian Greeks, to which organisations representing Pontian Greeks have been invited. The Greek parliament first official recognised the genocide on February 24, 1994 and unanimously established May 19 as remembrance day of the genocide in Greece.