Thousands of demonstrators marched Tuesday along Hollywood Boulevard and through the Fairfax neighborhood to mark the 103rd anniversary of the Armenian genocide, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Draped in red, blue and orange, the sea of demonstrators was led by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to demand that Turkey recognize the 1915 atrocities that led to the systematic killing of 1.2 million Armenians.
“You don’t have to be Armenian to know what a human tragedy looks like,” Garcetti told the crowd in Little Armenia. “This was an Armenian tragedy and a human tragedy, and all of us will say, ‘Never again.’ ”
Tuesday morning, many said they felt empowered by the events in Armenia, which saw the Prime Minister resign.
“We are proud and more united than ever — here and in Armenia and all over the world,” said Nune Yenokyan, 31, of Tujunga. “We won’t stop until these crimes are brought to justice.”
The first of two demonstration marches began near Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue in Little Armenia at 10 a.m., and was organized by Unified Young Armenians. In addition to carrying flags and signs denouncing the genocide, marchers also called on the United States government to officially recognize it.
After the rally in Little Armenia, participants marched on a circular route east on Hollywood Boulevard, south on Normandie Avenue, west on Sunset Boulevard then north on Hobart Boulevard. Los Angeles police closed all the affected streets from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The second rally, organized by the Armenian Genocide Committee, began around midday at Pan Pacific Park at 7600 Beverly Blvd., and was scheduled to end at the Turkish Consulate at 6300 Wilshire Blvd. The demonstration route skirted the Grove shopping center, then proceeded west on 3rd Street, south on Fairfax Avenue then west on Wilshire Boulevard.
