Armenian Americans Protest Turkish Denial Of Genocide On 95th Anniversary
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April 24, 2010 marked the 95th anniversary of the systematic slaughter of the Armenian people by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire.
On this national day of mourning Armenians all over the world took to the streets in protest, continuing an almost century long struggle for justice.
According to historians at the Armenian National Institute, it was on this day in 1915 when 300 Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers and professionals in Constantinople (present day Istanbul) were rounded up, deported and killed. Also on that day in Constantinople, 5,000 of the poorest Armenians were butchered in the streets and in their homes.
In one year, scholars at the Institute estimate 1.5 million Armenians were killed in an attempt to unite the Turkish people in a "great and eternal land" with one language and religion.
However, as the United Human Rights Council points out, this new empire would have to come at the expense of the Armenian people, whose traditional historic homeland and Christian faith lay right in the path of the Young Turks' plans to expand eastward.
The outbreak of World War I provided an opportunity for the Young Turks to solve the "Armenian question" once and for all. With war at hand, unusual measures involving the civilian population would not seem too out of the ordinary.
However, despite all the spoken fact and recorded history, despite the survivors who lived to tell their tales of suffering, the Turkish government has not accepted the actions of generations past as genocide.
Ninety-five years later Armenian people all over the world consider April 24 a day of remembrance as well as a day of protest for their fallen ancestors.
In Los Angeles, 10,000 community members heeded the call by the Armenian Youth Federation and protested Turkey's continued denial of the Armenian Genocide in front of the Turkish Consulate.
The orderly crowd marched in front of the building housing the Turkish Consulate on Saturday, chanting slogans and waving the Armenian tri-colored flag.
As the passionate students of the Armenian Youth Federation monitored the march, Armenian Americans as young as 4 and as old as 80 made their voices heard.
"This is the history of our people. We need to make sure that our children do not forget this history, and that the Turkish government does not change this history," Armen Babayan said. "I am so happy to see how many young Armenians are here fighting for justice."
The Armenian Youth Federation organized buses that left from all over the great Los Angeles area to Wilshire Blvd. for the protest. People drove from all over the city with flags proudly waving from their cars and old cultural music blasting from stereos.
Police had to shut down a section of the major street as more and more Armenians gathered to demand justice from the Turkish government.
"Shame on Turkey! Shame on them for attempting to hide the truth from the world. They are hoping that with enough denial we will forget and be silenced, but that is not possible. A people cannot forget a genocide, and we will never forget," Ani Kazanjain said.
Now 60, Kazanjain noted the large number of youth at the protest.
"I remember my grandmother telling me stories of how they escaped the Turkish terror. I told these stories to my children, and they told them to their children. I hope Armenian children never forget where they came from, no matter where they live. I'm very proud of all of them for being here today."
As a member of the Armenian Youth Federation, Hakop Manukyan, a sophomore at Ferrahian High School, was a monitor for the protest, leading people in chants such as, "Armenians united will never be defeated!"
"Organizing this event and knowing that I helped bring all these people together today has been amazing. The Armenian people will stay strong. Eventually, the Turkish government will be forced to tell the truth," Manukyan said.
Arek Santikian, the Armenian Youth Federations Central Executive Chairman said in an interview the Monday after the protest, "The incredible youth presence reinforced that the new generation is as actively engaged in the pursuit of the Armenian Cause as those that came before it."
Santikian said to the crowd, "Justice must prevail! It must prevail over politics! We are here to make sure people do not forget the ultimate crimes against humanity. Humanity will prevail over politics!"
Santikian's remarks were directed at the Turkish authorities for denying the genocide, as well as the U.S. government for failing to formally recognize the massacre as genocide. He went on to indict President Obama directly for once again failing to use the word "genocide" in his annual statement.
"Elected officials must serve the interest of their constituents, first, and not foreign governments," Santikain said. "The Obama Administration, like those before it, cannot advocate change while at the same time denying truth because of Turkish pressure."
When Santikian began naming the countries that have already recognized the Armenian Genocide, flags of the those countries were raised by members of the Armenian Youth Federation who were lined up in front of the U-Haul truck that served as a podium and a stage.
"The Armenian people need justice. We need to know that the blood of our ancestors was not spilled in vain. That is why I am here," Mariam Hovanesyan, an Armenian-American woman brought to tears by this part of protest said.
"I think human rights and human dignity are more important than oil," Hovanesyan added.
The protest lasted from before 4 p.m. to sunset, and passionate people full of courage and spirit marched on the entire time.
"My voice is gone," Katherine Sarsykian, a student monitor who spent hours chanting into a megaphone said as the crowds began to disperse.
"But it was well worth it," she added.
The Monday after the protest, Santikian said he was very pleased by the large turnout and successful march. "The developments of last year and the increasing vitriol of late by the Turkish leadership propelled a more vocal expression of protest on the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This year's demonstration was, by far, one of the more impressive both in its organization and in attendance of recent years," he said.
"If the world does not recognizes this instant when the most heinous crimes against humanity were committed, how can the world expect such crimes not to happen? The Armenian genocide was the first of the 20th century, but it was not the last. There are genocides going on even today, and it amazes me how comfortable people are with their ignorance," Santikian said.
Santikian's last words were perhaps the most powerful, and the most thought provoking,
"After achieving total power in Germany, Hitler decided to conquer Poland in 1939 and told his generals: 'Thus for the time being I have sent to the East only my 'Death's Head Units' with the orders to kill without pity or mercy all men, women, and children of Polish race or language. Only in such a way will we win the vital space that we need. Who still talks nowadays about the Armenians?"
