Thousands attend Toronto rally marking 100 years since Armenian Genocide

Thousands of people gathered in downtown Toronto Sunday, for a rally marking 100 years since the Ottoman-era killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians, CTV News reports.

On Sunday, approximately one dozen Turkish protesters staged a counter-demonstration at Queen’s Park, waving Turkish flags, but not interrupting the rally that started shortly after 1 p.m.

Many in attendance, including Defence Minister Jason Kenney, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory, appeared to support the event. Police estimate that at least 2,000 people gathered at Queen’s Park.

The rally also brought together people from different communities who have suffered in mass atrocities during the last century.

“On the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we want to come together as one large community of groups who have been touched by genocide,” Garen Megerditchian, an organizer of the event, said in a statement released over the weekend. “We want to stand up united against the crime of genocide.”