The Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region will be holding its annual protest demanding justice for the Armenian Genocide in front of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles on April 24, Asbarez reported.

The protest will include community activists and civic leaders across the state coming together to publicly condemn the Republic of Turkey for its continued perpetuation of a campaign resulting in the death of over 1.5 million Armenians. The participants will gather in front of the office of the Turkish Consul General at 6300 Wilshire Blvd. from 4 to 6 pm to honor the victims of the Armenian Genocide and demand justice from the Republic of Turkey.

“April is not only a time to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, it is also genocide awareness month,” remarked Lori Tashdjian, one of the lead organizers of the protest. “Armenians and non-Armenians alike should come together to protest this crime against humanity, especially its final stage, which is denial.”

April 24 is the international day of remembrance of the Armenian Genocide that was carried out by the Ottoman Turkish government under the cover of World War I. The systematic annihilation of the Armenian population from their historic homeland served as a blueprint for subsequent genocides, including Hitler’s Holocaust. To this day, the Turkish government campaigns aggressively to deny the facts of the Armenian Genocide internationally and muffles discussion of the matter internally within Turkey.

The Armenian Youth Federation calls on the community and all concerned citizens to join the protest on April 24. The organization is providing free buses which will depart Tuesday at 2 PM from various locations throughout the greater Los Angeles area, including the Pasadena Armenian Center, St. Mary’s Church in Glendale, the Orange County Armenian Center, and Pilibos Armenian School in Hollywood.

The protest is the culmination of a number of commemoration events organized by the AYF to mark the ninety-seventh anniversary of the Genocide. A few such noteworthy events include a community-wide “One Voice, Once Cause” rally hosted by the Glendale “Roupen” Chapter on the evening of April 15 at St. Mary’s, a candlelight vigil at city hall hosted by the Burbank “Varak” Chapter, and the “Cycle Against Denial” bike ride hosted by the Valley “Sardarabad” Chapter on April 29.