Crowds gather in Montebello, Glendale, Beverly Hills for Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

LOS ANGELES — A rally outside the Turkish Consulate General in Beverly Hills and a religious ceremony and the placement of flowers at the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument in Montebello were held Thursday, April 24, to mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

What was billed as the “Rally For Our Future” began at noon on Wilshire Boulevard, near La Cienega Boulevard. Video from the scene showed a peaceful demonstration on a sidewalk as police officers kept traffic flowing nearby.

An organizer of the event in Montebello said the Remembrance Day was important to keep younger generations fighting for justice.

“They’re going to be the future leaders,” Gary Khanjian, a co-chair of the Armenian Genocide Committee, told ABC7. “We want them to come and take our positions — and do the justice until the Armenian nation and the whole world get a just result and acceptance that a genocide happened.”

A “Demand For Justice Community Rally” was set to be at Glendale City Hall in the evening, along with the Truth And Accountability League’s tribute event at the Glendale Central Library’s auditorium, remembering the victims of the genocide and honoring eight elected officials and community leaders for their public service, visionary leadership and unwavering empathy, organizers said.

The league bills itself as a nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2020 in response “to a significant increase in anti-Armenian racism, defamation, hate crimes and Armenophobia.” It monitors and confront bias, disinformation, propaganda, and slander of the Armenian people and culture at the media level, including social media, academics, intelligentsia and public policy.

Schools were closed Thursday in the Los Angeles and Glendale unified school districts for the day commemorating the 110th anniversary of the start of events widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

The LAUSD Board of Education adopted a policy in 2020 to close schools on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. Students and teachers in the Glendale Unified School District have been given the day off on April 24 since the 2013-14 school year.

A bill establishing Genocide Remembrance Day as a state holiday to be observed on April 24 and permitting public schools and community colleges to close in observance of the holiday was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted April 15 to declare April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in Los Angeles County.

“Honoring the victims of the Armenian Genocide is both a solemn responsibility and a powerful act of remembrance,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said in a statement.

“We must ensure their stories are not forgotten and that we continue to raise awareness about the atrocities they endured — and those that are still happening today. The recent forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh underscores the ongoing struggle for justice and recognition.

“Los Angeles County will continue to be a voice for truth and human dignity.”

The Los Angeles area is home to the largest population of Armenians in the world outside of Armenia itself.

In his presidential message on what he called “Armenian Remembrance Day,” President Donald Trump said, “Today we commemorate the Meds Yeghern, and honor the memories of those wonderful souls who suffered in one of the worst disasters of the 20th century. On this day of remembrance, we again join the great Armenian Community in America, and around the world, in mourning the many lives that were lost.

“Every year on April 24th, we reflect on the strong and enduring ties between the American and Armenian peoples. We are proud of the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief, a groundbreaking effort established in 1915 that provided crucial humanitarian support to Armenian refugees, and grateful for the thousands of Americans who contributed or volunteered to help the Armenians expelled from their homes.

“On this day, we bear witness to the strength and resiliency of the Armenian people in the face of tragedy. We are fortunate that so many Armenians have brought their rich culture to our shores, and contributed so much to our country, including decorated soldiers, celebrated entertainers, renowned architects and successful business people.”

Meds Yeghern is an Armenian term referring to the Armenian genocide. It translates to “Great Catastrophe” or “Great Disaster.”

On April 24, 1915, Ottoman authorities arrested Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople, leading to an estimated 1.5 million people being killed.

Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.