Events Across L.A. Mark 'Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day'
Schools in Glendale are closed today in observance of 'Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day' as events are planned across Los Angeles County to mark the mass murder of 1.5 million Armenians slaughtered in 1915.The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a proclamation making April 24 a holiday in 2022 and it was signed into law that same year. L.A. County libraries celebrated April as Armenian History Month and the Museum of Natural History has exhibits honoring the country's heritage.Events across the county will bring attention to the ongoing conflict that began five years ago when the neighboring nation of Azerbaijan launched a military assault on Artsakh, followed by a ten-month-long blockade of the Lachin Corridor, cutting off over 120,000 Armenians from food, medicine, and critical supplies. Armenians continue to be persecuted as atrocities run rampant in the region as the world remains largely silent about the war crimes being routinely committed by Azerbaijan's military regime. Less than two years ago, in September 2023, over 100,000 Armenians were forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands. Religious sites have been desecrated and systematically destroyed and political prisoners have been abused. There will be events across L.A. county to mark the day - and the continuing struggle - on Thursday through the weekend. On Thursday afternoon there will be a protest outside the Turkish consulate in Beverly Hills, where hateful flyers containing anti-Armenian propaganda was posted on street signs in recent years. On Thursday evening there will be a "Demand for Justice' community rally on Parcher Plaza at Glendale City Hall. On Saturday, Armenians from all over L.A. County will gather at Grand Park for a hike with the motto: "They tried to bury us, they didn't know we were seeds.'Last year New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on charges that he, among other crimes, took bribes from Turkish officials to ignore Armenian Genocide Day in the city. After he was sworn into office a Turkish official "repeatedly" demanded Adams ignore the Armenian Genocide and bypass any statements of condolences to its victims in deference to that country's continued denials of the atrocities that began in 1915 when the Ottoman Empire began a targeted decimation of its civilian Armenian population. The systematic killings continued until 1923 when the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist and was replaced by the Republic of Turkey.
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