|
'They could not exterminate us'
Armenians remember victims of 1915 Armenian Genocide by praying, marching, protesting.
MONTEBELLO -- Visitors to the Armenian Martyrs Monument on Tuesday
milled around Bicknell Park, taking pictures of colorful memorial wreaths,
swapping stories and saying prayers.
Elderly Armenian men wearing baseball caps huddled together at the
monument's base, sipping bottled water. Women, most dressed in black,
shielded their children from the heat with umbrellas.
"It's important for us to reaffirm that they could not exterminate us,"
said Michael Minasian, president of the monument council. "The fact that
this
monument stands here on American soil is proof that no one is going to be
able to extinguish us."
An estimated 2,000 Armenians converged on Bicknell Park to remember
victims of the first recorded genocide of the 20th century.
"It's important for us as Armenians to remember," said Hratch Simonian
of Glendale, who attended the commemoration ceremony with his wife and two
children. "But it's also very important for non-Armenians to know what
happened to Armenians so that genocides do not happen again."
Every April 24 is set aside as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Armenians living in Glendale and surrounding areas attended a series of
public events Tuesday to commemorate the 86th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. Thousands marched through the Little Armenia section of Hollywood,
while others protested in front of the Turkish Consulate.
In Glendale, the flag in front of City Hall was lowered in remembrance
of the genocide.
"It's not a day for mourning, it's a day for remembranceand recognition
of the genocide," said Glendale City Councilman Rafi Manoukian, who was
joined at the monument site by Mayor Gus Gomez.
An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed and another 500,000
exiled by the Ottoman Turks in 1915. The Turkish government denies
allegations of a genocide, and the U.S. does not officially recognize it.
"These are not Armenian problems, these are human problems," said
Vrej-Armen Artinian, one of two keynote speakers at the monument ceremony.
"Because it was not condemned by the world, so many others have happened,
including the Jewish Holocaust."
The message Tuesday was delivered in different ways.
Several men wore black T-shirts with the words "Genocide Never Again"
stenciled in white letters on the back. Other shirts read "Wanted: Turkey,
for the massacre of 1,500,000 Armenians. Reward: A step closer to a FREE
WORLD."
"We're always hopeful that one day [the Turkish Government] will take
responsibility," said Vazken Atmajian, pastor of St. Mary's Armenian
Apostolic Church in Glendale, who participated in a Mass and requiem service
earlier in the day at Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Montebello.
Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News Archives