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Chicago Armenians Protest Genocide Denial at Turkish Consulate
PRESS RELEASE
1701 N. Greenwood Glenview, Illinois 60025
Contact: Raffi Killian
Telephone: 847-830-1906, 312-831-3049
Turks Attempt Counter-Demonstration
Chicago, IL - Over one hundred demonstrators answered the call of the Armenian National Committee (ANC) to converge on the Turkish Consulate in downtown Chicago of Tuesday, April 24, and deliver Armenian demands to the Turkish government for Genocide recognition and reparations. Under the watchful eye of a large contingent of Chicago police, the demonstrators picketed the while chanting "Turkey run, Turkey hide, Turkey's guilty of Genocide!" and distributing flyers to passers by. The demonstrators, who ranged in age from 5 to over 75, maintained their picket for over two hours during the noontime lunch break.
After seeing the large crowd forming in front of the consulate, Turkish consular employees and a few others came outside to begin provoking the Armenian demonstrators. At one point, several Turks accosted the Armenian youth distributing leaflets about the Genocide. Police broke up the altercation and separated the two groups on opposite sides of the street. Acting like unruly soccer fans, the Turks waved flags, jumped up and down and shouted as the Armenian demonstrators chanted `Turkey is Guilty.'
The Turks' behavior soon degenerated into obscene gestures and shouts of profanities and threats that continued for the duration of the demonstration. `Don't you remember what we did to your grandparents?' `Too bad we didn't finish you the first time,' and similar comments were shouted in a crude reference to the Genocide. Singling out the lone priest in the crowd, the Turks shouted `Sakhaluh (bearded-one), you'll be the first to go!'
`The behavior today of the Turkish consular employees only underscores the importance of the need for Turkey to come to terms with its genocidal past,' stated Greg Bedian, spokesperson for the ANC of Illinois. `Turkey's continued efforts to deny the Armenian Genocide are not only offensive; they appear to be breeding the same virulent hatred that made the first Genocide possible,' he stated.
Despite the provocations, the Armenians held ranks and the protest continued to its successful conclusion. `We reiterated our message to the Turkish regime and its collaborators that we will not go away and we will not be silent until Turkey admits the Genocide, returns occupied Armenian lands and makes appropriate reparations,' stated Bedian.
Following the demonstration, members of the local Armenian Youth Federation chapter distributed thousands of leaflets to commuters at the city's two major train stations. Earlier in the day, ANC representatives met with French Consul General Jean-René Gehan to present him with a plaque from the Armenian Community thanking the French Government for its official recognition of the Armenian Genocide. On Tuesday evening, nearly 400 people and clergy from all seven Chicago-area church congregations gathered for a joint requiem service at the All-Saints Church in Glenview. Following the service, ANC representatives read excerpts from President Bush's April 24 statement and expressed the community's deep disappointment in Bush's failure to fulfill his campaign pledge.
Besides the events on April 24th, the ANC also organized several other
actvities to mark the 86th Anniversary of the Genocide. On Friday,
April 20, ANC representatives met with Cong. William O. Lipiniski
(IL-3) to thank him for signing a congressional letter to President
Bush urging him to appropriately characterize the Genocide in his
annual statement. On Saturday, April 21, a commemorative program
attended by over 200 people was held at the Armenian Community Center
in Glenview. Featured speakers at the program were Congressman Mark
Kirk (IL-10) and Prof. Henry Theriault from the Worcestor State
College Center for the Study of Human Rights. On Sunday, April 21, a
special memorial service was held at the Armenian Martyrs' Monument in
Glenview, followed by a brief program led by members of the Armenian
Youth Federation and with the participation of the local Hamazkaine
choral group. The final activity of this year's commemoration will be
a blood drive organized by the local Armenian Relief Society chapter,
which will be held on May 6th at the Glenview Community Center.
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