1. What is defamation?
Defamation is a statement that damages your reputation. Defamation has two forms: written (libel) or spoken (slander).
2. What is racial defamation?
Racial defamation is statements against you aiming to damage your reputation solely because of their race or ethnic background..
3. Do people of Turkish descent face any racial defamation in the United States of America?
Yes — Turkish-Americans are routinely and falsely accused of being a genocidal race by hostile diaspora groups and the politicians who seek their votes.
4. What type of racial defamations Turkish-Americans face with in their daily life?
• Being a member of Mongoloid, destructive, rapist and genocidal race (for being a Turk);
• Being a “genocide denier” if a Turkish-American refuses to accept the above statement.
5. In what environments Turkish-Americans face with racial defamation?
Everywhere — social media, workplaces, schools, restaurants, parks, at social gatherings and public events.
6. What is the root cause of these racial defamations against Turkish-Americans?
Politicians accept money and votes from anti-Turkish diaspora organizations, then support. repeat and legitimize those organizations’ false, racist narratives in exchange.
7. Who supports these racial defamations against Turkish-Americans?
Primarily career politicians who take campaign donations and endorsements from Armenian, Greek, and other diaspora groups hostile to Turks, and in return promote anti-Turkish propaganda as official government positions.
8. What do the defamers plan to gain from these attacks?
Primarily politicians want more election campaign donations and votes. On the other hand the racial hate fueled diaspora organizations and groups plan to gain more control power over their local politicians, create pressure on Turkish descent people and today’s modern Turkiye indirectly.
9. What motivates the politicians to support the defamers against Turks?
Simple self-interest: campaign money, endorsements, and bloc votes from anti-Turkish organizations guarantee re-election, so politicians keep repeating their narrative.
10. Are Senators politicians?
Yes — U.S. Senators are elected politicians, and like all politicians, they are motivated by the money and votes that fuel anti-Turkish defamation.
11. Is the President a politician?
Yes, the President is essentially a politician.
12. Why are Armenian-Americans or other defamers and their supporters not facing with any legal actions since they defame Turkish- Americans because of their race on all platforms every day?
Because Turkish-Americans have not yet systematically brought civil lawsuits — and until they do, courts have no opportunity to create the legal precedents that would deter future defamers.
13. What are the historical events of 1915 which Armenians and U.S. politicians keep talking about?
During WWI, certain Armenian political factions openly collaborated with the enemy Russian army. Ottoman government temporarily relocated Eastern Armenian populations from active war zones to safe zones within the empire soil.
These are the events that politicians are trying to label as genocide.
No international court has ever ruled on these wartime relocations as genocide.
14. What do Turkish Americans need to know about the WWI in a nutshell?
WWI was a hot war between Ottoman, German and Austrian-Hungarian Empires on one side and England, France, Russia, Italy and their proxy militants and supporters (who were Ottoman citizen and minorities which include Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks) on the other side.
As the war ended, Ottoman, Russian and German Empires collapsed, and new successor states were formed to replace them. Multiple new counties were formed under the control of Entente powers. However, proxy militants did not get fully what they were promised by their Entente partners. These Proxies are still being used as the probe to continue cold war fight against Turkiye, the successor of Ottoman empire.
Turkish War of Independence fought and won against British backed Greek armies and Armenian proxies secured Turkiye’s borders under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.
15. What are the international treaties and events that took place around the WWI era related to Ottoman Empire and the successor state Republic of Turkiye?
The Treaty of Sèvres (1920) tried to carve up Anatolia, but The Grand National Assembly of Turkiye led by Ataturk rejected and defeated it; the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) then established Türkiye’s internationally recognized borders and remains binding international law today.
16. Is genocide a legal term like murder or theft?
Yes — genocide is a precise legal crime that can only be declared by a competent international court, not by any politician, parliament, or president.
17. What is the definition of genocide?
A crime to be categorized as genocide, there must be a proven intent on the part of perpetrators to physically destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. Cultural destruction does not suffice, nor does an intention to simply disperse a group.
Under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
- Killing members of the group;
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
- Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
18. Which authorities can decide whether a government’s actions constitute genocide or not?
Only three bodies have jurisdiction: the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and specially appointed International Military Tribunals — no one else.
19. Can political parties or civil organizations or countries’ parliaments or senates declare an event as genocide?
No — they have zero legal authority to make that determination;
The power to adjudicate genocide matters is reserved to ICJ, (for cases between countries), the ICC (for individual criminal responsibility), and specially constituted international tribunals — exclusively.
20. Who has official jurisdiction to try genocide cases?
The ICJ (for cases between countries), the ICC (for individual criminal responsibility), and specially constituted international tribunals — exclusively.
21. Which authority should people contact if they believe an event is a genocide in the history?
They must file a formal case before the ICJ or ICC — and notably, no party has ever filed such a case against Türkiye in over 75 years, which speaks for itself.
22. Can you list all events which were officially tried and had a court verdict by the ICJ and ICC as genocides?
- The Holocaust (Nuremberg Tribunal)
- Bosnia/Srebrenica (ICJ)
- Rwanda (ICTR)
- Yugoslavia (ICTY)
23. Which events can not be announced as genocide without and official trial?
Except Bosnia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia and the Nuremberg trials all events are legally unproven and cannot be declared genocide without a competent court judgement.
No party can be presumed or declared guilty of genocide unless the ICJ, ICC or special tribunals release a verdict about it.
ICC, ICJ and international tribunals try all parties under the presumption of innocence and with the trappings of due process.
24. In what forms racial defamation against Turkish-Americans can occur?
Racial defamation can come in any form of communication — written posts, spoken words, videos, cartoons, school curricula, legislative resolutions, or any other medium that spreads false claims about Turkish identity and may even lead to physical attacks.
25. In what environments can we face with racial defamation?
You may face defamation virtually in any environment; at work, while walking on the streets, while recreating in parks or public areas, or surfing online.
26. What should you do if we become a victim of racial defamation?
Document everything immediately (screenshots, dates, witnesses), contact TADA or an attorney right away, and file a formal complaint — statutes of limitations are short and delay forfeits your rights.
27. Are we protected from racial defamation by the laws in the United States?
Yes — the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and federal hate crime and anti-discrimination laws all protect Turkish-Americans from racial defamation, harassment, and discrimination.
28. Do we have any rights to protect ourselves from the attackers?
Yes — you can sue for defamation in civil court, file civil rights claims in federal court, file Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or Office for Civil Rights (OCR) complaints, and request criminal hate crime prosecution, all simultaneously if needed.
29. What are our legal rights in the United States against racial defamation?
No one can discriminate against you due to your point of view on any topic (including genocide)
Your freedom of speech cannot be censored.
Your civil rights are listed in the US constitution and Civil Rights Act of 1964
30. What are our constitutional rights as Turkish-Americans?
YOU have a right to be free from discrimination based on your Turkish heritage in contracting, employment, or public accommodations like restaurants, hotels, or stores etc.
YOU have a right to be free from hate crimes motivated by hostility based on your Turkish identity. Hate crimes include murder, assault, battery, arson, or stalking. Hate crimes also authorize you as a companion to criminal prosecution to bring civil damage lawsuits against the wrongdoer to recover money to make you whole.
YOU have a right to be free from defamation, intimidation, threats, or coercion because of your Turkish heritage. These rights may be enforced by civil damage suits in federal or state courts to extract money from the wrongdoers. Per The US Constitution, all citizens enjoy equal protection under the law.
YOU have a right to dispute the unproven Armenian genocide claims in public forums or with public officials without retaliation or retribution including government firing, demotion, defamation, or any other adverse action. These rights may be enforced by civil damage suits in state or federal courts seeking money to compensate for your injuries or reinstatement.
31. What is freedom of speech?
Freedom of speech is the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint.
You need to be careful about your freedom of speech, it has limits, if you defame others with your speech content you may easily get punished by the law.
32. What is hate speech?
One common definition of hate speech is: “Any form of expression through which speakers intend to vilify, humiliate or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons on the basis of race, religion, skin color, sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, disability or national origin.”
33. Is hate speech protected by freedom of speech?
Hate speech may be offensive and hurtful; however, it is generally protected by the First Amendment. But it does not mean you can defame others with your speech. Courts have ruled that restrictions on hate speech would conflict with the First Amendment’s protection of the freedom of expression.
With these considerations in mind, courts in the United States have found that expression generally cannot be punished based on its content or viewpoint. However, although hate speech, alone, receives constitutional protection, any expression that constitutes a true threat, incitement to imminent lawless action, discriminatory harassment or defamation is punishable by the law.
34. What are the limits of freedom of speech?
Any expression that constitutes a true threat, incitement to imminent lawless action, discriminatory harassment or defamation is not covered by the First Amendment (free speech) protections.
35. Can you sample a few examples of hate speech and free speech?
Probably the best definition of hate speech yet, comes from the Council of Europe. In 1997, they defined hate speech as:
“All forms of expression which spread, incite, promote, or justify racial hatred, xenophobia, anti-Semitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance.”
Hate speech has been around for ages, even before social media. Here are some real-life hate speech examples:
“The Palestinians are like crocodiles; the more you give them meat, they want more.”
-Ehud Barak, Prime Minister of Israel, August 28, 2000.
“Let’s Kill Jews, and let’s kill them for fun. #killjews”
-Hamas Palestine, Twitter (Twitter deleted this post because of their hate speech policies)
Another example of hate speech directed to Turks could be a statement such as:
• “All Turks should be killed for exterminating Armenians, Greeks” etc. etc.
Freedom of speech and expression includes the right to express your views aloud: For example, through public protest and demonstrations, or through published articles, books or leaflets, television or radio broadcasting or works of art etc.
For instance, repudiating the genocide allegations of the Armenians with well-written articles is a form of free speech we utilize all the time on www.tadaweekly.org
36. Can I file lawsuits against people who attack me on internet platforms?
Yes, you can take the attackers to court if you are become a victim of a written or verbal defamation online.
37. Can you give a few samples of written racial defamation I may become a victim on internet?
Please refer to Answer #35
38. Can we take state governments to court if they pass racial-defamatory laws against my race?
Lawmakers generally cannot be sued as they enjoy protections of sovereign immunity against civil suits. In the United States, sovereign immunity typically applies to the federal government and state government, but not to municipalities. Federal and state governments, however, can waive their sovereign immunity. The federal government did this when it passed the Federal Tort Claims Act, which waived federal immunity for numerous types of torts claims.
39. Can we sue the school for teaching racially defamatory curriculum in their classes?
Yes, you can. In order to create a safe and productive environment at schools, it is important that students feel safe and welcome. And part of feeling safe and welcome includes protecting students from racial discrimination and racial harassment.
In fact, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits race discrimination in education when schools receive federal financial assistance (which pretty much includes all public school districts).
So, if a teacher makes remarks or treats a student in a way that is racially discriminatory, he or she would be in violation of Title VI. It could also be a violation of Title VI if the teacher allows one student to discriminate against another based on race.
40. Can we sue the school districts adding racially defamatory teaching material in their curriculum?
Yes, you can. Parents or parent groups can sue local and state education leaders over a curriculum that violates state and federal laws.
41. Can we sue the town for allowing racial-defamatory activities on their websites and media communications?
Yes, you can. As explained in #38, sovereign immunity typically applies to the federal government and state governments, but not to municipalities.
42. Can I sue my neighbor for their racially defamatory activities against me in the neighborhood?
Yes, you can.
43. What do I need to know about the lawsuit processes?
In United States, every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt with trappings of due process.
44. What do I need to have in my hands to file a lawsuit against a racial defamer?
You need evidence to prove that the other (accused) party’s speech goes beyond First Amendment protections.
45. What type of an attorney do I need to file a lawsuit against a racial defamer?
You would need an attorney specialized in Constitutional Law.
46. In which type of court should the lawsuit be filed on racial defamation topic?
The proper venue could be civil courts, state courts or federal courts depending on the arguments.
47. What does my child need to tell the teachers if he/she faces with racial defamation?
“It is unlawful discriminate against me, or my viewpoint based on my race, heritage or national origin.”
48. What should I tell my friends, managers if I face with racial defamation at work?
“It is unlawful to discriminate against me because of my race, heritage and national origin.”
49. Does a criminal case have to be concluded to be able to file a civil case?
No, both cases are tried in different courts and may be filed in parallel. So, as soon as a criminal case is filed, it would be better to file a civil case as well. You need to remember the statute of limitations, you have limited time to initiate the civil suite after the actual incident date. Civil court focuses on your civil rights and criminal court only focuses on the defendants and indictment process.
50. What should I do if my child reports that they are thought Anti-Turkish racial content in school?
Gather all your evidence and get in touch with TADA as soon as you can or with your attorney.
