Upper Darby, PΑ – Songs and poems about the loss of homeland and the 353, 000 thousand Pontian Greeks were read at the Pontian Genocide monument. The Pontian chapter Akritai, their descendants and the Greek community gathered to lament their tragic history following church services at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox. Carrying Byzantine flags and dressed in the traditional folk attire of Pontos, the chapter members led a procession onto Powell Lane where Father George, conducted a short ceremony.
As each poem was read, the crowd clapped. “We will never forget,” echoed at the end of each speech by the audience. The Pontian community continues to commemorate this tragic time 1916-1923. They continue to pressure the Turkish government, that till this day, denies genocide took place. Some 41 states in the US and more than 21 countries have done so already.