Hundreds of protesters assembled outside the Turkish Consulate General on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills on April 24 to commemorate Armenian Genocide victims and denounce neighboring governments.

Organized by the Armenian Youth Federation, the annual rally marked an observation of Genocide Remembrance Day, enacted by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022. LAUSD schools also had the day off, allowing for a children’s chorus to lead the crowd in Armenia’s national anthem, “Mer Hayrenik” (Our Fatherland).

More than 200,000 Armenians live in Los Angeles, the largest such community outside of the nation itself.

“We are still experiencing genocide today in Artsakh,” said Haig Minasian, a fourth-generation Armenian American and chair of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation “Shant” Student Association, alluding to an Azerbaijani military offensive that forcefully displaced ethnic Armenians. “Without that justice from 100 years ago, this genocide has continued unsolved.”

Minasian, who also addressed the crowd, told the Courier that although the United States has recognized the atrocities, economic and military alliances with genocide-denying countries create obstacles to change. All speakers stood under a “110 Years of Armenian Resilience” sign, a reference to the Ottoman Empire’s estimated 1.5 million killings during the early stages of World War I.

Prior to the speeches, some attendees gathered on the sidewalks, chanting “open your eyes to Turkey’s lies,” and waving red, blue and orange flags. Others displayed hats, pins and bracelets. A plane circling overhead carried a banner reading “GENOCIDE IGNORED IS GENOCIDE REPEATED.”

“It’s a first step, a step that goes along with hundreds of other initiatives and community work,” Minasian said.