Thousands marched outside the Turkish embassy and consulate in Mid-Wilshire on Sunday to commemorate Armenian Remembrance Day.
The protesters called for justice, demanding the U.S. and Turkish governments acknowledge the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as a genocide.
The protesters called for justice, demanding the U.S. and Turkish governments acknowledge the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as a genocide.
 |
| Thousands protested outside the Turkey embassy for Armenian Remembrance Day. |
"All we're asking for is recognition and reparations. They don't want to do it and there are political reasons behind why the U.S. government won't support it, but that's not going to stop us from fighting," protester Papken Pakhchanian said.
As several chanted with Armenian flags and bullhorns, a small group of Turkish counter-protesters also turned out.
Turkey disputes the events were a genocide, saying the deaths were an act of civil war and unrest.
"There is an allegation of genocide that is taken at face value without paying any attention to its historical evidence," said Ergun Kirlikovali, the former president of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations.
At the height of the rally, someone flew a Turkish flag over the crowd with an airplane. Many said the gesture added insult to injury for those protesting.
"Today's flag that you saw turning around, the Turkish flag, this was a cheap shot. It's not real. If they are real, they would recognize it like Germany recognized the Holocaust," Hrayr Sherikian said.
On Saturday, thousands attended a vigil to honor the victims 101 years after the massacre.
On Friday, President Barack Obama issued a statement about Armenian Remembrance Day, but excluded the word "genocide" for the eighth consecutive year.
[] By
Darsha Philips
and
Leanne Suter - http://abc7.com []