Tons of of individuals gathered outdoors the Turkish Consulate in Beverly Hills on Sunday to demand the Turkish authorities acknowledge the Armenian genocide and finish its assist of Azerbaijan within the Artsakh.
The rally organized by the Armenian Youth Federation was one in all a number of held throughout the Southland to mark the 107th anniversary of the bloodbath. Los Angeles County is residence to the biggest inhabitants of Armenians in the USA.
Audio system on the protest honored the victims of the genocide and the energy of its survivors, instructed of Armenia’s wealthy historical past and tradition, and referred to as for Turkey to lastly acknowledge the loss and trauma it inflicted upon the Armenian individuals.
Outdoors the Turkish Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard, rally attendees waved the nationwide flag of Armenia and chanted “1915 by no means once more! Genocide by no means once more!” and “Japanese Turkey is Western Armenia!” — referring to the historic homeland of Armenians. They positioned their palms in purple paint and pressed them onto a white banner, an set up that represented Armenian bloodshed.
By many estimates, one million Armenians died within the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1920, one of many first genocides in a century that will be outlined by mass killings. Ignored by a lot of the world and denied by the Turkish authorities, the Armenian slaughter was thought-about for generations a “excellent genocide,” as its victims had been forgotten and its perpetrators went unpunished.
Armenians proceed to face threats, protesters mentioned. With the assistance of Turkey in 2020, Azerbaijan launched a conflict in an try to take away ethnic Armenians residing within the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Our group can also be calling on the U.S. authorities to forestall Turkey and Azerbaijan from committing ongoing conflict crimes in opposition to the Armenian individuals,” mentioned Alex Galitsky, spokesman for the Armenian Nationwide Committee of America, an organizer of the occasion.
Till President Biden in 2021 formally referred to as the killings a genocide, American presidents had additionally declined to take action. They as an alternative labeled the deaths by the hands of the Ottoman Empire as an atrocity — however not a genocide.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors final month proclaimed April as Armenian Historical past Month and final week handed a movement declaring April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in Los Angeles County. April 24 can also be noticed all through the Armenian diaspora and is a nationwide vacation in Armenia.
Occasions workers photographer Jason Armond contributed to this report.
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