Thousands March to Denounce Genocide

Thousands of people marched peacefully through the streets of east Hollywood on Thursday to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the Armenian genocide that killed up to 1.5 million in World War I.

As the marchers clogged traffic along Sunset and Hollywood boulevards, dozens of cars, many draped with the red, blue and orange colors of the Armenian flag, slowly moved along as their occupants yelled for Turkey to acknowledge the atrocities.

The Turkish government has long denied charges of genocide, maintaining that World War I fighting left hundreds of thousands dead, both Armenians and Turks.

“A lot of people don’t know that 60,000 Turks died in the city of Van,” said a spokesman for the Turkish Consulate of Los Angeles, referring to the ferociously defended Armenian city that is considered the Stalingrad of Armenia.

Many marchers wore black T-shirts bearing the message “1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of the Turks in the first genocide of the 20th century.” They said they were participating in the annual commemoration because they want people to understand what happened to their homeland.

“The Armenians were the victims of the worst crime against humanity,” said Hakop Hagopian, an engineer who lives in North Hollywood. “I think, we think, the world should know about what my people endured.”

Nina Mikaelyan, 67, said she hoped people in Los Angeles were aware of the genocide.

“I want to let the Turks know that we are not going to forget what happened,” Mikaelyan said. “Every single person in Los Angeles should know about this.”

A waiter at Carousel, a popular Armenian restaurant, echoed those thoughts. “We know it happened, the Turks know it happened, it’s just that the rest of the world doesn’t know it,” said Ruben Gregorian, 28.

Nearly all Armenian-owned businesses in east Hollywood and Glendale, home to much of the area’s Armenian American population, were closed Thursday to honor the dead.

Not all of the marchers were of Armenian descent.

Among those parading down Hollywood Boulevard was an African American woman who said she wanted to express her solidarity with the Armenians.

“In this world, everyone needs to know that they are not the only ones that have suffered,” said Dominique Sells, 19, of South Los Angeles. “I have a lot of Armenian friends and I know this is a hard day for them.”