September 30, 2020
Thousands in Los Angeles protest Azerbaijan’s attacks on Artsakh and Armenia (Photo by Melkon Melkonian)
Protesters Condemned Ankara’s Criminal Intervention in Armenia
Thousands of Los Angeles Armenians gathered in front of the Azerbaijani Consulate building to protest Azerbaijan’s latest attacks along the entire border of Artsakh. The protesters also raised their angry voice in condemnation of Turkey’s brazen and criminal intervention in the Karabakh conflict.
The busy section of Wilshire Boulevard in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles was closed throughout the entire protest, which was organized by the Armenian Youth Federation and drew a crowd representing a cross-section of the community.
Unlike a similar protest in July, when a group of Azerbaijani disrupted the event by instigating violence and threatening demonstrators, Wednesday’s protest was peaceful and the cowardly Azerbaijanis did not show up.
The short programmed included a moving speech by AYF member Hratch Avedissian, who articulated the demands for justice of the Armenian people. He highlighted Azerbaijan’s ongoing efforts to military threaten the lives of innocent Armenians in Artsakh, who have expressed their fundamental right to self-determination.
He also pointed out Turkey indiscriminate intervention in the Karabakh conflict, pointing out that during the most recent attacks that began on Sunday, Ankara has inserted itself in the conflict. This behavior, he said, threatens the stability and security of the entire region. Avedissian also accused Turkey of advancing the same genocidal policies that guided the Ottoman Empire in committing the Armenian Genocide.
The AYF leader called on the international community to condemn Azerbaijan for its continued attacks on Artsakh and Armenia, and urge Turkey to stop its interventionist policies.
However, the protest was also an opportunity for Armenians in Los Angeles to gather and honor the valiant soldiers who have been guarding the borders of Armenia and Artsakh and protecting the Armenian Nation. Avedissian said that as long as there is a war, all Armenians are united in solidarity with the heroic Armed Forces of Artsakh and Armenia.
The hashtag #ՅաղթելուԵնք (WeWillWin) that has become the unifying call since Sunday’s attacks became the slogan that was loudly chanted at the close of Wednesday protest.
WE WILL WIN.