Hollywood

Thousands Rally in Remembrance of Armenian Massacre

Tens of thousands of people packed Wilshire Boulevard on Sunday in a rally for justice, commemorating the 1.5 million Armenians killed by the Ottoman Turks more than a century ago.

The Armenian Genocide Commemoration March kicked off at the corner of Hollywood and Hobart boulevards in Little Armenia before demonstrators gathered for a rally, sponsored by the Armenian Genocide Committee, in front of the Turkish Consulate by Sunday afternoon.

Historians say the systemic slaughter of Armenians began on April 24, 1915 when Turkey's Ottoman government rounded up and arrested 250 intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople.

What some consider the first genocide of the 20th Century continued until 1923. But officials in modern Turkey deny there was ever a genocide. And the United States government has been reluctant to use the word genocide to describe the mass killings.

Congressman Adam Schiff has been working for nearly two decades pushing for genocide recognition.

"I think it's a grave mistake. If we're to be the human rights leaders of the world, we can't pick and choose which genocide to recognize," Schiff said.

One of the organizers from the rally says recognition is the first step, but a long list of demands still need to be met.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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