Salt Lake Tribune, Utah
April 23 2005
Utah Armenians march to remember ancestors’ deaths
Genocide claim: Those at the gathering seek closure to what they call
slaughter by Turkish Ottoman Empire
By Jason Bergreen
The Salt Lake Tribune
Photo: Krikor Meguerditchian holds his two-year-old grandson, Garo,
Friday at a march to commemorate their Armenian ancestors’ killings.
(Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune)
Two-year-old Garo Meguerditchian peeked over his grandfather’s
shoulder and shook a miniature Armenian flag Friday as the pair and
more than 20 others marched in Salt Lake City to commemorate the 90th
anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
Though the peaceful demonstration was small, four generations of
Armenians gathered outside the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building at
noon to remember the deaths of 1.5 million of their ancestors.
“We are trying to let people know and spread the word that our
fallen countrymen haven’t been forgotten,” said organizer Armen
Taroian.
Historically, Armenians have contended that Muslim Turks who ruled
the Ottoman Empire during its decline at the turn of the 20th century
subjected the Christian Armenian population to deportation,
starvation and massacre between 1915 and 1918. The genocide is
officially commemorated on April 24, when in 1915, 200 Armenian
community leaders were arrested in Constantinople and later killed.
Today’s Turkish government has refused to acknowledge the past
killings and commonly refers to the violence as a side reaction to
World War I.
Members of Friday’s march carried signs reading, “1915 never
again;” “We will never forgive, we will never forget;” “Take your
hands off our land;” and “Eastern Turkey is Western Armenia.”
Marcher Garene Bekearian said: “We need closure. It’s been 90
years and it’s not there yet.”
Utah Armenians, who come from
Lebanon, Iran, Syria and Armenia, also want their children to
embrace their heritage.
“I think every Armenian wishes their grandchildren to know they
are Armenian,” Krikor Meguerditchian, said smiling at Garo. “We are
trying to keep our language. That is number one.”
Krikor was born in Lebanon and moved to Salt Lake City in 1979.
“Half my life is over there and half is over here,” he said,
smiling again and returning to the march.
Armenians also would like the world community to acknowledge and
denounce the genocide and have the United States proclaim April 24 as
an official day of remembrance, Taroian said.
The 2000 U.S. Census lists 2,024 Utahns of Armenian ancestry and
359 of Turkish ancestry.
“We want to normalize relations,” Taroian said. “We all know
Turkish people here and if our characters match, we are friends.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress