Protesters flocked to Beverly Hills on Wednesday to demonstrate during Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Nellie Rofaeel was among dozens of people who sang and gathered outside the office of the Turkish Consulate General.
“My grandfather’s sister was murdered during the genocide in 1915,” she said.
The Armenian community recognizes April 24 as Martyrs’ Day, when the massacre and ethnic cleansing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire began in 1915.
“As Germany, they acknowledge that they committed the Holocaust,” said Los Angeles resident Zayan Ali. “I think Turkey should recognize the Armenian genocide.”
President Joe Biden is the first US president to recognize the genocide.
Since 2021, Armenia has been in a border conflict with Azerbaijan, which is supported by Turkey. However, many protesters said America’s attention was focused on countries like Ukraine and the Middle East.
“We feel that our trauma was unrecognized, unsupported and completely ignored,” said Lucy Barpetian, president of the Armenian Bar Association.
The Turkish Consulate General Office sent a statement about the genocide.
“Every year, President Erdoğan Ottoman expresses his condolences to the grandchildren of the Ottoman citizens of Armenian descent who lost their lives as a result of the adverse conditions of the First World War,” the office said.
People also demonstrated in the Little Armenia section of Hollywood. Both the LA and Glendale school districts are closed for a day of remembrance.
Resident Vilen Tavadyn fought for that when he was in school. Now his children can experience it.
“It’s important that our youth understand that and realize what happened in 1915,” Tavadyn said.
Rofaeel’s family lives in Orange County, where her children can have excused absences. She said it is not the same as a day of reflection.
“That’s why we keep talking about it,” she says. “That’s why we raise our voices. That’s why we sing our songs. That’s why we speak our language. It’s because we want this day to always be recognized.”
In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill allowing public schools to close in honor of Genocide Remembrance Day.
Jeff Nguyen
