Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day commemorated across Southern California
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- Several rallies were held across Southern California Thursday to mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day - including outside the Turkish Consulate in Beverly Hills, where hundreds of people gathered to remember the victims.
The "Rally Four Our Future" was organized by the Armenian Youth Federation. Video from AIR7 showed a peaceful demonstration on a sidewalk as police officers kept traffic flowing nearby.
"Seeing all the Armenians and non-Armenians that come out, it gives me hope," said Nareg Kuyumjian with the Armenian Youth Federation.
Many young faces were in the crowd. Schools were closed Thursday in the Los Angeles and Glendale unified school districts to commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, marking the 110th anniversary of the start of events widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
A bill establishing Genocide Remembrance Day as a state holiday to be observed on April 24 and permitting public schools and community colleges to close in observance of the holiday was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022.
"It's important to me because a huge part of my own family perished during the Armenian genocide, my great grandfather was the only one who survived," Mane Karapetian, an Encino resident.
The Los Angeles area is home to the largest population of Armenians in the world outside of Armenia itself.
Thursday morning, Congresswoman Judy Chu and former L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian were seen in the audience at the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Memorial Monument in Montebello, which was designated a state historical landmark in February.
"This here is the 68th anniversary of the monument," said Gary Khanjian, co-chair of the Armenian Genocide Committee.
Event organizers said coming together like this important for younger generations to understand the resilience of their ancestors and to never forget.
"In 1915, one million and half Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. The reason why we're here in front of the Turkish Consulate is because the Turkish government, unlike the American government and 30 governments around the world, still denies the Armenian genocide," Kuyumjian said.
"It's important to preserve the truth and this is what we're doing here today," Karapetian said.
Another event, the "Demand For Justice Community Rally," was held at Glendale City Hall.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted April 15 to declare April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in Los Angeles County.
"Honoring the victims of the Armenian Genocide is both a solemn responsibility and a powerful act of remembrance," Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said in a statement. "We must ensure their stories are not forgotten and that we continue to raise awareness about the atrocities they endured -- and those that are still happening today. The recent forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh underscores the ongoing struggle for justice and recognition."
On April 24, 1915, Ottoman authorities arrested Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople, leading to an estimated 1.5 million people being killed.
Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.
City News Service contributed to this report.
