LOS ANGELES—More than 12,000 Armenian Americans from throughout California converged on the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Oct. 4 to protest the Turkey-Armenia protocols as Armenia President Serge Sarkisian met with representatives of Armenian organizations to defend his decision to sign the documents. The protest was organized by the Stop the Protocols Campaign.
Protesters held signs proclaiming, “Serge, Don’t Betray the Armenian People,” “Turkey Accept the Genocide!” and “No to the Protocols!” Meanwhile, planes overhead carried banners that read “Stop Turkish-Armenian Protocols,” and large moving vans around the hotel carried billboards picturing Presidents Sarkisian and Abdullah Gul with the slogan, “Don’t Betray Us.”
Prior to the beginning of the community meeting, Sarkisian’s delegation stood on the 12th floor balcony and watched the demonstrators, who called out in hopes that the president would address them directly. Sarkisian chose not to address the people.
During the fourth hour of the protest, several hundred frustrated demonstrators broke through the barricades and stormed across the street to the hotel entrance, yelling “votch, votch (no, no),” stopping traffic on Wilshire Blvd.
Meanwhile, ARF Western Region Central Committee member Hovan Tashdjian, who had just left the meeting with Sarkisian, described the president as tense. Faced with overwhelming opposition by community representatives, Sarkisian had attempted to defend the formation of a “historical commission” and argue that the protocols would not affect the Karabagh peace process.
Tashdjian commended the thousands who turned out for the afternoon protest, ensuring them “your representatives conveyed your anger and frustration over the protocols.”
Sarkisian recently embarked on a diasporan junket to gain support for the Turkey-Armenia protocols, which have met with resounding rebuke by Armenians worldwide. He has been met with protests in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, and Beirut.
Inside the meeting
Representing the Armenian National Committee (ANC) Western Region, Steve Dadaian described the meeting to Asbarez as being “tense.” Of the 65 or so participants, only 29 were allowed to speak; of those 29, only 3 expressed either complete or partial support for the protocols.
“He was unprepared to discuss the text of the agreement,” Dadaian said. “This is the emperor’s new clothes tour—he’s naked and he’s expecting everyone to say ‘you look great.’ It was sad.”
During all three stops on his diaspora tour, Sarkisian said that the diaspora should have faith in the initiative, which he maintained was initiated by Armenia without any external pressures.
He assured his largely skeptical audience that the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations would create an atmosphere of mutual confidence. And, he said, there would be no discussion of the Armenian Genocide within the framework of the protocols.
“The only question in connection with the genocide that can become a subject for discussion is how we can help the Turkish people to be more unbiased in going through the pages of their own history or, to be more precise, how to overcome the consequences of the genocide,” Sarkisian stressed.
“I believe that it is possible to have normal negotiations, have normal relations with Turkey, and benefit from it,” he said.
The participants of the Los Angeles meeting echoed sentiments by their diasporan counterparts in New York and Paris that the protocols were loaded with dangers to Armenia’s national security and to the future of the Armenian people.
Sona Madenlian, speaking on behalf of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS), explained that throughout its existence, the ARS has devoted its efforts to meet the needs of Armenians the homeland. In the wake of the protocols, Madenlian wondered whether that work had been in vain. She also asked the president what message this was sending to younger generations. “They are used to protesting Turks,” she said, “not protesting the Armenian president. How will we be judged by our future generations?”
The AGBU’s Albert Boyadjian framed the protocols as the best thing for Armenia, saying they would result in a more prosperous Armenia.
Montebello Martyrs Monument
Hundreds answered the urgent call to action on Mon., Oct. 5 and converged on the Montebello Martyrs’ Monument in anticipation of a visit by Sarkisian
The day before, more than 200 people answered another immediate call to action to rally at the Montebello Memorial, forming a human barricade to prevent Sarkisian from using the monument for a publicity stunt while in Los Angeles. The Monday crowd was estimated to be larger.
Sarkisian, however, did not visit the Montebello Martyrs Monument, leaving the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia dissatisfied and angry.
Meanwhile, Sarkisian’s spokesman, Samvel Farmanian, confirmed to RFE/RL that Sarkisian had received an official invitation from Gul to visit Turkey to attend the match between their national soccer teams.
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