Your trusted source

Thousands of protesters gathered in front of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles Thursday to demand justice for the Armenian Genocide as part of the 24 Hours of Action organized by the Armenian Youth Federation, according to Asbarez.

The day-long demonstration began at 2 p.m. with protesters disseminating information about the Armenian Genocide to the public. At 4 p.m., those in attendance took part in the protest rally, expressing their demands for justice and recognition of the genocide by the Turkish and United States governments.

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian was among the protesters. In his speech, he compared the Armenian demands for reparation to those of Americans for the occurrences of September 11, 2001. Montebello City Councilman Jack Hadjinian also addressed the crowd and commended the Armenian youth on their efforts on social media to spread awareness about the Armenian Genocide.

Serob Abrahamian presented the AYF’s message in Armenian, calling on President Barack Obama to keep his presidential campaign promise of recognizing the genocide. Sanan Shirinian presented the AYF’s message in English, saying that the youth will not stop fighting until justice is served. “Don’t tell us we’re being too idealistic, because we’re not meant to be level-headed. We are meant to be revolutionaries,” she said. “Why? Because we belong to the Armenian Nation.”