Armenians in Los Angeles joined the world-wide April 24 commemoration of the 1915 Armenian Genocide by demonstrating in front of the Consulate of Turkey. No one from the consulate showed up. The government of Turkey persists in denying the genocidal character of the deaths of over one million Armenians in Anatolia under the Ottoman regime.
The protest was organized by the Armenian Youth Federation, and the participants were largely youthful. Signs and T-shirts made the theme clear: “Yes, It’s Genocide.” “Never Again.” “Shame on Turkey.” “We Will Never Forget—We Demand Global Recognition.” And, referring to the idea that the Armenian homeland was lost in the Genocide: “End Turkish Occupation.” “Eastern Turkey = Western Armenia.”
AYF spokesman Razmig Sarkissian estimated that several hundred people launched the demonstration, and that several thousand would attend by the end. He attributed the passion of the demonstrators, several generations and almost a hundred years distanced from the events they were commemorating, to two factors. First, these young people understand and appreciate the sacrifices of the older generation. And two, the fact that Turkey continues to deny responsibility is an injustice that keeps the wound open across the generations. This contrasts with the way Germany faced its Nazi past after World War II. Germany’s truthfulness about the Holocaust has earned it international respect, in conspicuous contrast with Turkey.
Regarding the eastern Turkey/western Armenia question, Sarkissian posited that Armenia’s territorial demands, if acceded to, would be a deterrent to future genocides. Armenians still feel connected to the lands they lost—some still have, Sarkissian averred, the deeds to the houses their ancestors owned in Anatolia. But, perhaps showing a pragmatic streak, Sarkissian observed that one’s opening position tends to be extreme; Turkish-Armenian negotiations regarding the Armenian Genocide are still in the future. (It would make sense for Armenia to trade a Turkish acknowledgment of the Genocide and financial restitution for its territorial claims.)
The demonstrators chanted lustily—“Get your hands off our lands!” “Turkey lies, Turkey hides, Turkey’s guilty of genocide!” “Armenia, united, will never be defeated!” and in Armenian, “Fight, fight to the end!”—and, unless Turkish policy changes dramatically and unforeseeably, they will be back next year. Turkey continues to take the line that the relevant archives should be opened to a join committee of scholars. The proper response is, let all the archives be opened for all researchers. If anything is discovered which alters our understanding of events, publish it. But the implicit Turkish claim that we don't really know what happened cannot be taken seriously.
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