"But... but the Fire nation also committed water bender genocide....!"

[u/ILoveOzai]

AKtually the "genocide" is a judgements against anti-firenation terrorist.

They brutally killed the thousands of innocent firebenders, to show their loyalty of earth monarch regime.

The ship in the katara's village is an excellent example of water benders' terrorist activities. They attacked the ship and killed all the firebenders in the ship brutally.

We have to remember the firebenders who died by Water Benders' terrorist activities.

U may say zhao's "invasion" is a bad thing. But zhao did the right thing to do. The water benders lived a horrific life under brutal misogynistic traditionalist regime. And their leader supported the earth monarchist. Zhao fought to liberate innocent water benders from that.

Of course zuko's attack of katara's village is a war crime and zuko must be punished for that.

Anyway we don't have to shame what our ancestors did. They did the right thing to do.