Thousands march in Hollywood to mark 1915 Armenian massacre
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Thousands of people are marching through Hollywood on Friday to mark the 100th anniversary of the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.
The Friday event, kicked off with a ceremony at 9 a.m. The march itself, dubbed the "March for Justice," made its way through the Fairfax District toward Beverly Hills, where more demonstrations are planned outside the Turkish Consulate.
Thursday night, hundreds gathered in Montebello at the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument to demand acknowledgement of the horrific event in 1915.
At issue - the word "genocide." The reason behind the controversy? The Turkish government does not recognize it. They admit that terrible things happened to the Armenian population in the closing days of WWI, but they say it was due to the fog of war and never a planned event. Armenians disagree.
Armenian-Americans maintain 1.5 million people were killed in the genocide.
"It's been two long that the government of the United States and the government of Turkey have denied the truth of the Armenian genocides. So, we're here not only to raise awareness and demand recognition from these governments, but we also have legal claims. We want reparations, we have monetary land claims," said Sanan Shirinian with the Armenian Youth Federation.
A few weeks ago, Pope Francis used the word "genocide" in reference to the massacre, and Armenians viewed that as a victory. However, President Barack Obama has yet to use the word, instead calling it a "mass atrocity."
