To mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, a religious ceremony and the placement of flowers was conducted at the Martyrs Monument in Montebello.
MONTEBELLO, Calif. (KABC) — In commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, a religious ceremony and the placement of flowers was conducted at the Martyrs Monument in Montebello, one of several such observances throughout Southern California on Thursday.
Organizers of the event said the Remembrance Day was important to keep younger generations fighting for justice.
“They’re going to be the future leaders. 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,” said Gary Khanjian, co-chair of the Armenian Genocide Committee.
Schools were closed Thursday in the Los Angeles and Glendale unified school districts to commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, marking the 110th anniversary of the start of events widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
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 “Rally Four Our Future” began at noon outside the Turkish Consulate General in Beverly Hills, organized by the Armenian Youth Federation. Video from AIR7 showed a peaceful demonstration on a sidewalk as police officers kept traffic flowing nearby.
The “Demand For Justice Community Rally” is scheduled to begin at Glendale City Hall at 5:30 p.m.
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.
The Los Angeles area is home to the largest population of Armenians in the world outside of Armenia itself.
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.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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