More than 60,000 'Rally for Justice' at LA Turkish Consulate

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Asbarez)—Tens of thousands of people gathered at the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles to protest Ankara’s continued denial of the Armenian Genocide and to commemorate the 101st anniversary of that crime.

An overhead shot of the more than 60,000-strong crowd at Sunday’s Rally for Justice at the Turkish Consulate in LA (Photo: Asbarez) — An overhead shot of the more than 60,000-strong crowd at Sunday’s ‘Rally for Justice’ at the Turkish Consulate in LA (Photo: Asbarez)

Citing the Los Angeles Police Department numbers, the Los Angeles Times reported what the organizers of the “Rally for Justice,” the Armenian Genocide Committee, estimated at the close of the event: a 60,000-strong crowd.

The overwhelming presence of youth galvanized the crowd, which loudly and resolutely demanded justice for the Armenian Genocide from the Turkish government with a resounding commitment to continue the struggle for the aspirations of the Armenian people.

Several dozen federal, state, and local officials chose to spend their Sunday alongside the Armenian-American community and joined them in rallying for justice.

The program included presentations from Representatives Adam Schiff, Loretta Sanchez, and Tony Cadenas; California State Assembly members Scott Wilk and Adrin Nazarian; and Los Angeles City Council members Paul Krekorian and Paul Korets, in whose district the “Rally for Justice” was being held.

Religious leaders of the four Armenian denominations opened the program with a prayer, while students from all Armenian schools from Los Angeles performed the Armenian and American national anthems.

Community representatives Tamar Poladian, Krikor Moloyan, and Daron Der-Khachadourian spoke during the program. Joseph Kaskanian delivered a powerful message on behalf of the youth.

Mistress of ceremonies Hoory Minoyan effortlessly commanded the program, which included performances by Tro Krikorian and Ara Dabandjian, Nersik and Arabo Ispiryan, the rapper R-Mean, Armenchik, and Harut Pamboukjian.

Another prevailing message that was echoed not only by the speakers but overwhelmingly from the crowd was that Armenians are united in solidarity with Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh), which recently endured a massive and savage attack by Azerbaijani forces, the likes of which have not been seen since the 1994 ceasefire agreement.

The organizers of “Rally for Justice” partnered with leading Greek, Assyrian, Yezidi, Jewish, Kurdish, South Asian, and Seikh organizations, as well as labor unions and student groups, whose representatives joined the community at the gathering.

The message was clear and succinct: Despite Turkey’s denial of the genocide, and the United States’ refusal to acknowledge history in its proper context, Armenians remain unified in their demands and will continue to pursue the Armenian Cause, until justice for the 1.5 million martyrs of the Armenian Genocide is served.