LOS ANGELES–About 5,000 protestors converged at the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles on April 24–demanding that Turkey recognize the Armenian Genocide–and reminding all that the Armenian youth will not relent until justice is served.
The youthful crowd of protestors picketed across two blocks of Wilshire Blvd.–carrying signs with slogans such as–"Genocide Unpunished is Genocide Encouraged," and "Turkey stop historical Revisionism."
"The Canadian government officially recognized the Armenian Genocide earlier this week," said protest director Sevag Garabetian. "We are thankful for their ability to classify truth and justice above special interests and are hopeful that our government–here in the US–will follow suit shortly," explained Garabetian.
About two hours after marching on Wilshire Blvd.–the protestors gathered in front of the Turkish Consulate–where Vicken Sosikian–chairman of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Western Region–addressed the crowd standing on top of a cargo truck–used as a make-shift stage.
Emphasizing that over 80% of the protestors are youth–Sosikian said that this generation–along with future generations of Armenian American youth–will resolutely demand the return of Western Armenia–proper reparations–and justice.
The annual protest–which has taken place for thirty years–proved more than ever this year to attract all major broadcast and print media.
"The success of the protest can be credited to a committee of 10 AYF members who carefully planned the protest for the past five months; over 100 AYF members helped with crowd control," said chairperson of the protest organizing committee Marie Minassian. "The protest is one of many forms of political activism organized by the AYF throughout the course of the year," explained Minassian.