Kim Kardashian West has accused the Wall Street Journal of profiting from genocide after publishing an advert directing readers to a website denying the mass killings of Armenians was a genocide.
Between 1915 and 1916 1.5 million men, women, and children were sent across the Syrian desert and killed by the Ottoman empire in what is widely considered, but not universally addressed as, the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey objects to the mass killings being called a genocide and disputes that there was an attempt to systematically destroy the Christian Armenian people. It argues that while atrocities were committed, many Muslim Turks were also killed in the war. The Republic of Turkey believes the number is inflated and estimates the death toll to be around 300,000.
In one of her most forthright blog posts to date, Kardashian West accused the WSJ of “reckless, upsetting and dangerous” behaviour by publishing the advert for FactCheck Armenia, which shows the Turkish flag with a peace sign under the headline “Truth=Peace” alongside a website domain which has the following statement on its homepage: “FALSE: The events of 1915 constitute a clear-cut genocide against the Armenian people.”
Kardashian West, who is of Armenian heritage, travelled to Armenia and laid wreaths at a memorial complex to mark the 100th anniversary of the killings in April 2015. The Kardashian family fled Armenia in 1913.
“For the Wall Street Journal to publish something like this is reckless, upsetting and dangerous. It's one thing when a sh***y tabloid profits from a made-up scandal, but for a trusted publication like WSJ to profit from genocide — it's shameful and unacceptable,” she wrote.
”Advocating the denial of a genocide by the country responsible for it—that's not publishing a 'provocative viewpoint,' that's spreading lies. It's totally morally irresponsible and, most of all, it's dangerous. If this had been an ad denying the Holocaust, or pushing some 9/11 conspiracy theory, would it have made it to print?“
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, a WSJ spokesperson said: “We accept a wide range of advertisements, including those with provocative viewpoints. While we review ad copy for issues of taste, the varied and divergent views expressed belong to the advertisers.”
The Independent has contacted WSJ for comment.
