Hundreds march in Hollywood to commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

HOLLYWOOD (KABC)– Hundreds of people participated in a march in Hollywood Wednesday afternoon, calling for the freedom of Armenian prisoners of war and commemorating Armenian Genocide Memorial Day.

The march took place in the heart of the Little Armenia region and was organized by the United Young Armenians (UYA) organization, an independent youth movement.

This march was not only a cry for freedom for Armenian prisoners of war held in Azeri prisons, but it was also a solemn act of remembrance.

“What we're trying to do is remember those who disappeared, because it's important to understand that much of the world, including the United States government, does not accept that genocide Armenian took place, but I have family members who were killed during the genocide, and I am the descendant of a survivor,” said Hovik Tatevossian. “Most of the Armenians you see in Los Angeles are descendants of survivors who had someone killed during the genocide.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill making Genocide Remembrance Day a state holiday and allowing public schools and community colleges to close their doors to observe the holiday in 2022.

“Genocide commemoration is more than a history lesson. It is a powerful tool to engage people of all generations in the sanctity of human rights, the enormity of the crimes and how to prevent future atrocities,” Newsom wrote in his signing message for AB 1801. by then-Rep. Adrin Nazarian, D-North Hollywood.

Schools were closed Wednesday in the Los Angeles and Glendale Unified School Districts. The LAUSD Board of Education adopted a policy in 2020 to close schools on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day. Glendale USD students and teachers have had the day off on April 24 since the 2013-2014 school year.

A protest was planned for noon in front of the Turkish Consulate General in Beverly Hills.

The protest is “dedicated both to demanding proper recognition, reparations and restitution for the 1.5 million lives lost and land stolen during the 1915 Armenian Genocide, and to highlighting how the delay in recognition, reparations and restitution led to the continuation of the vicious circle.” of the genocide committed against Armenians with the recent 2023 genocide in Artsakh,'' according to a press release from the Armenian Youth Federation, which is organizing the demonstration.

A commemoration of the Armenian Genocide was held at the Montebello Armenian Genocide Monument. It will include a speech by human rights lawyer Karnig Kerkonian and a laying of flowers.

An Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day prayer and tribute service was held at Adventist Health Glendale. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Armenian Church of the Western Diocese of North America, participated. The service also featured testimonies and personal stories from Adventist Health Glendale families affected by these deaths.

There will be an event marking the 109th anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide at Glendale City Hall at 4:30 p.m. Speakers include Rep. Adam Schiff, Democrat of Burbank, vice chairman of the Congressional Armenian Caucus.

The Los Angeles area is home to the largest population of Armenians in the world outside of Armenia itself.

On April 24, 1915, Ottoman authorities arrested Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople during World War I, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1.5 million people.

Turkey denies the deaths constitute genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

“On this solemn anniversary, as we pause to remember the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide, we also reflect on the resilience of those who survived and the perseverance of their children and grandchildren, who built new lives in the United States and around the world, speaking the beautiful Armenian language and enriching our nation with Armenian culture and heritage,” Schiff said in a statement.

“Armenians refused to let the genocide define their lives or limit their future potential. Instead, they showed the world that they could face the future with courage, knowing that they had already overcome the worst atrocities the past.”

City News Service contributed to this report.