Tert.am

12:45 ¢ 10.10.09

Armenian Revolutionary Federation March Ended in Song and Dance

Yesterday evening, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun, ARF-D) march began from Republic Square as
planned. Prior to reaching their final destination (Tsitsernakabert,
the Genocide Memorial), the protestors made a stop at the Republic of
Armenia President’s office where MP Karen Karapetyan submitted a
letter addressed to President Serzh Sargsyan, as well as the petition
against the Armenian-Turkish Protocols with about 50,000 signatures.

Speaking briefly with journalists, Karapetyan said that the opinion of
political forces is extremely important for them; the opposition
forces’ opinion even more so.

`In our future activities, we will take into account the public’s role
and make use of it as well; it will be helpful, I think,’ noted
Karapetyan. As the crowd began to move toward Tsitsernakabert, a group
of individuals near the presidential office, including Zaruhi
Postanjyan, began shouting for the president’s resignation. Hearing
this, the police interfered, though up until that point, they had
remained on the sidelines.

At Tsitsernakabert, other than members of the ARF-D, head of Heritage
Party parliamentary faction Armen Martirosyan and New Times Party
leader Aram Karapetyan also gave speeches. The latter said if the
Protocols are signed, they will demand not only Serzh Sargsyan’s, but
also the government’s present leaders’ resignation. This last
statement elicited enthusiasm from the crowd.

Martirosyan appealed to his Armenian National Congress (ANC)
colleagues to join them next time. A few ARF-D members in the front of
the crowd shouted that they were against ANC joining them. Martirosyan
said, irrespective of peoples’ political views, they will be able to
reach their aim only with a united front. Raffi Hovannisian was also
present at the rally. Comparatively speaking, it wasn’t a large rally,
and many protestors said they thought it was an ANC rally and that’s
why they j
rty Supreme Body representative Armen Rustamyan, blaming the
leadership, said that after the pre-signing of the Protocols, it was
announced that they had signed it under no obligation, which was even
worse, but, according to Rustamyan, if the leadership was to be frank
and say they had been forced to sign, then the people would stand by
them.

Then he blamed the leadership for lying to the people. Rustamyan also
said this is a path leading to downfall, and in order to prevent that
downfall, a large pan-national front must be formed. Rustamyan also
stated that the rally’s site was not randomly chosen, since each
person is responsible for what he says here. Rustamyan ended his
speech with the following sentence: `Our fight is inevitable.’

Throughout the rally, protestors were periodically shouting `No!’ and
sometimes `Nalbandyan resign!’ At the end of the rally, ARF-D
representatives appealed to place wreaths at the Tsitsernakabert
Memorial dedicated to victims of the Armenian Genocide, but before the
ARF-D leadership could place the wreaths, a singer appeared and began
singing, after which the young Dashnaks started to sing and dance.

ARF-D representatives stated this is not their last rally and the next
one will take place on October 16 near Moscow Cinema.

Tert.am