MORE THAN 12,000 PROTEST SARKISIAN, PROTOCOLS IN LOS ANGELES
Asbarez
-protest-sarkisian-protocols-in-los-angeles/
Oct 5th, 2009
LOS ANGELES-More than 12,000 Armenian Americans from throughout
California converged on the Beverly Hilton Hotel to protest the
Turkey-Armenia protocols as Armenia President Serzh Sarkisian met
with representatives of Armenian American organizations to defend his
decision to sign the flawed documents. The protest was organized by
the Stop the Protocols Campaign.
Protesters held signs proclaiming, "Serzh Don’t Betray the
Armenian People," "Turkey Accept the Genocide!" and "No to the
Protocols!" Meanwhile, planes overhead were carrying banners which
stated "Stop Turkish-Armenian Protocols," as large moving vans drove
around the hotel with billboards picturing presidents Sarkisian and
Gul with the slogan "Don’t Betray us."
Prior to the beginning of the community meeting, Sarkisian’s delegation
stood out on a 12th floor balcony and watched demonstrators, who called
out in hopes that the President would address them directly. Sarkisian
chose not to address the people.
During the fourth hour of the protest, several hundred frustrated
demonstrators broke through the barricades and stormed across the
street to the hotel entrance, yelling "votch, votch," stopping traffic
on Wilshire Blvd.
Meanwhile ARF Western Region Central Committee member Hovan Tashdjian,
who had just left the meeting with the President, described a
tense Sarkisian faced with overwhelming opposition by community
representatives, attempting to defend the formation of a so-called
"historical commission" and arguing that the Protocols would not
affect the Karabakh peace process.
Tashdjian commended the thousands who had turned out for the Sunday
afternoon protest, ensuring that their voices were heard at the meeting
since "your representatives conveyed your anger and frustration over
the protocols."
Sarkisian has embarked on a Diasporan junket to gain support for the
beleaguered Turkey-Armenia Protocols, which have met with resounding
rebuke by Armenians around the world. He has been met with protests
in Paris, New York and Los Angeles, with additional demonstrations
planned in Lebanon and Russia.
Inside the Meeting
Representing the Armenian National Committee-Western Region, Steve
Dadaian described the meeting to Asbarez as being tense. Of the 65
or so participants, only 29 were allowed to speak, of who only three
individuals expressed complete or partial support for the protocols.
"He was unprepared to discuss the text of the agreement. This is the
emperor’s new clothes tour-he’s naked and he’s expecting everyone to
say ‘you look great.’ It was sad," explained Dadaian.
During his three stops on his Diaspora tour, Sarkisian’s message has
been that the Diaspora should have faith in this initiative, which
he underscored by initiated by Armenia without any external pressure.
He assured his largely skeptical audience that the normalization
of Turkish-Armenian relations would create an atmosphere of mutual
confidence.
Sarkisian gave assurances that there would not be a discussion of
the Armenian Genocide within the framework of the protocols.
"The only question in connection with the Genocide that can become
a subject for discussion is how we can help the Turkish people to be
more unbiased in going through the pages of their own history or, to
be more precise, how to overcome the consequences of the Genocide,"
Sarkisian stressed.
"I believe that it is possible to have normal negotiations, have normal
relations with Turkey and benefit from it," Sarkisian underscored.
The participants of the Los Angeles meeting echoed sentiments by their
Diasporan counterparts in New York on Saturday and Paris on Friday
that the protocols were loaded with dangers to Armenia’s national
security and to the future of the Armenian people.
Sona Madenlian, speaking on behalf of the Armenian Relief Society
explained that throughout its existence, the ARS has devoted all
its efforts to provide for the needs of the homeland from the time
of the Genocide to the present. Under the current circumstances,
Madenlian wondered out loud whether all that work was necessary.
In the wake of the protocols, Madenlian also asked the president what
the message should be to the younger generations.
"They are used to protesting Turks, not protesting the Armenian
President. How will we be judged by our future generations?" pondered
Madenlian.
The AGBU’s Albert Boyadjian framed the protocols as the best thing for
Armenia, extolling that as a result Armenia will prosper economically.
Meanwhile, Sarkisian’s spokesman Samvel Farmanian on Monday
confirmed to RFE/RL that the Armenian president had received an
official invitation from his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul to
visit Turkey to attend the return match between the two countries’
national football teams.
Montebello Martyrs Monument
Hundreds of Armenian-Americans answered an urgent call to action
and converged on the Montebello Martyrs’ Monument Monday morning in
anticipation of a visit by President Serzh Sarkisian, who is in the
Southland on the third leg of his Diaspora tour.
On Sunday, more than 200 people answered another immediate call to
action to rally at the Montebello Memorial, forming a human barricade
around it to prevent Sarkisian from using the monument for a publicity
stunt while in Los Angeles on his tour of the Diaspora. The Monday
crowd was estimated to be larger.
The president, however, did not visit the Montebello Martyrs Monument,
and as such concludes his visit to LA, leaving the largest Armenian
community outside of Armenia dissatisfied and angry.
Angry Picketers Greet Sarkisian in New York
Armenian-Americans answered the ARF’s call to form a picket
line Saturday across the street from the New York Palace Hotel,
where Armenia President Serge Sarkisian was scheduled to meet
with representatives of eastern United States Armenian American
organizations to discuss the controversial Armenia-Turkey protocols.
>From the picket’s start the mood was serious and the demonstrators
were indignant and angry. The atmosphere quickly grew intense with
chants of "Turkey is guilty! Turkey must pay!" Early on, the crowd
sang Armenia’s national anthem, "Mer Hairenik" ("Our Fatherland").
Sarkisian and meeting attendees were already in the hotel when the
picket began at 4 p.m. The meeting was scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and
last for over two hours. The area inside and outside the hotel was
heavily guarded by New York City police officers and plain-clothed
agents, as well as Sarkisian’s own security guards.
In the hotel, a small group of protesters representing the Association
of Concerned Young Armenian Americans attempted to deliver a letter
to Sarkisian expressing their opposition to the protocols. They were
met with resistance. During a heated discussion with members of the
president’s security team, they demanded to deliver their letter
personally to Sarkisian, saying that too much discussion on the
protocols was occurring behind closed doors and challenging Sarkisian
to honor his earlier promises to hear all opinions on the protocols
during his tour of major diasporan cities.
Security permitted one of the young people to enter the secure area
near the meeting room to deliver the letter, only if the others left
the building. The association’s representative was told to wait until
Sarkisan’s meeting concluded to deliver the letter. After waiting
for over three hours to deliver the message from Armenian American
youth-with no response from Sarkisian-the representative departed
with the letter in hand.
At around 7 p.m., as the picket entered its final minutes, dozens of
picketers moved from the picket area across the street to assemble
directly in front of the Palace Hotel’s entrance, where they chanted
and sang Armenian patriotic songs. Police moved in to force picketers
out of the area and back across the street from the hotel, where they
remained until dispersing around 7:30 p.m.