Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian and several prominent Jewish organizations joined the chorus of condemnation and anger after anonymous flyers calling to “wipe out Armenia from the world map” appeared in various parts of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles over the weekend.
“There is no place for anti-Armenian hatred in Los Angeles or anywhere else,” Mayor Bass said in a tweet on Monday.
“This past weekend, sick individuals posted flyers in Beverly Hills threatening to “wipe Armenian off the map,” said Council President Krekorian in a message posted on his social media platforms. “The City of Los Angeles will never tolerate to divide our people and set Angelenos against one another. There is no room for hatred in our public square.”
“History teaches a hard lesson. When hate speech goes unchecked, violence follows. I have spoken to [LA Police] Chief [Michel] Moore and LAPD is coordinating with Beverly Hills to ensure the safety of the public,” Krekorian added.
On Saturday morning, the Beverly Hills police department announced that it was investigating the placement of anti-Armenian flyers around the city, ahead of a scheduled demonstration organized by the Armenian Youth Federation to protest Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockade of Artsakh.
“Azerbaijan; Turkey; Pakistan; Israel = 4 BROTHERS WILL WIPE Armenia OFF the MAP Inshallah!!!,” read the message on the various iterations of the flyer that were found posted around the city.
At press time, Israel’s Consulate General in Los Angeles had not returned numerous requests for comment on the matter by Asbarez, which reached out via email and text messages to the consular staff.
Beverly Hills and West Hollywood mayors, Lille Bosse and Sepi Shyne, as well as Rep. Adam Schiff were some of the first officials to condemn racist flyers.
“This hate speech is yet another manifestation of the genocidal intent continued to be displayed by both Turkey and Azerbaijan toward Armenians everywhere… and we look to our Jewish coalition partners and all who condemn hate to do the same,” said Nora Hovsepian, the ANCA-WR chairperson.
Several Jewish groups did voice their condemnation of the racist and hateful flyers.
“These hate-filled flyers are another painful reminder of how important it is to stand up and show our support for the people of Armenia—a people with a similar history of persecution to our own,” the Jewish World Watch said in a statement posted on its Twitter page.
“Today, Azerbaijan has again left the ethnic Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to suffer. For nearly 50 days, the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor has disrupted crucial food and medical deliveries to the region,” added the group. “Let us respond to this abhorrent act with action by contacting Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging him to help end Azerbaijan’s latest aggression.”
The Anti-Defamation League of Southern California also condemned the flyers.
“ADL is appalled by anti-Armenian flyers distributed in Beverly Hills over the weekend, calling for Armenia to be wiped “off the map.” We are glad that city officials & BeverlyHillsPD are looking into this and we stand with the Armenian community,” the ADL of Southern California said it a social media post on Monday.
“We cannot allow for hate to run rampant through Los Ángeles. We are stronger together and I stand in solidarity with our Armenian community,” California State Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo tweeted on Monday.
Los Angele County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath in a tweet reminded that public that during its last meeting the County Board of supervisors “UNANIMOUSLY voted to take action to fight antisemitism & human rights violations against Armenians.”
“We will NOT be deterred by these flyers or any other hateful actions,” Horvath added.
FOX 11 News, the local Los Angeles Fox affiliate, reported on the hate act in a report that aired Monday on its news broadcasts.
“Anti-Armenian hate is exactly why we partnered with ANCA-WR to host an #LAForAll Healing Circle on rising #Armenophobia last week,” LA Civil Rights said, referencing a roundtable discussion co-organized by the ANCA-Western Region last week addressing ethnic hatred against Armenians. “LA is for Everyone. We will not be divided. #Armenia.”
