During a commemoration ceremony for the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide held in the courtyard of the St. Sarkis Cathedral in Tehran, a group of participants—citizens of Armenia—obstructed staff from the Armenian Embassy in Iran from approaching the genocide victims’ memorial, Hayastan.news reports, citing sources.

The demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Denial is a crime” and “Nikol is a traitor.”

They also tore flowers from the embassy staff’s hands. Protesters justified their actions by accusing the official Armenian government—whom they described as promoting a policy of denial and appeasement toward Turkey—of attempting to divide the Diaspora and interfere in genocide commemoration events.