April 24 — 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
As most readers know, today marked the 93rd anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Armenians throughout the world mark the day on 24 April, the date in 1915 when ethnic Armenian intellectuals were rounded up by the authorities in Ottoman Turkey. In Armenia, of course, the event is much larger than elsewhere with hundreds of thousands converging on the Tsitsernakaberd memorial in Yerevan to lay flowers and pay their respects to the memory of an estimated 1.5 million who died in the first Genocide of the 20th Century.
Even before today, thousands of young Armenians affiliated with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) assembled in Yerevan’s Liberty Square before embarking on a now traditional candlelight procession to the memorial overlooking the capital. Of course, this being the most nationalist of commemorative events, the Turkish flag was doused in petrol and set alight first. Interestingly, but not convincingly at all, Armenian Public Radio reports that the organizers deny such an act is ever planned.
President of the Nikol Aghbalyan Student Union Vahe Sargsyan told a press conference today that applications to participate have been submitted form different youth NGOs, Student Councils of higher educational establishments, young clergymen. The number of participants is expected to exceed last year’s 15 thousand. 300 torches and 10 thousand candles will be distributed to them. Vahe Sargsyan noted that participants of the procession will take the Armenian tricolor and the party flag of ARF and the flags of the states that have recognized the Armenian Genocide.
According to Vahe Sargsyan, burning of the Turkish flag is not envisaged. “We do not plan to burn the Turkish flag and do not spread hatred, it was the initiative of the participants,” he said.
As for the day itself, another political grouping also hoped to set off for Tsitsernakaberd from Liberty Square, but were of course prevented from doing so. Supporters of former president and presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian were denied access to the area behind the Opera by a ring of police. On the square itself, police vans were assembled although the description given by one reader of Unzipped that the police were wielding batons wasn’t what my experience was. Or, at least, that wasn’t the case around 3pm when Ter-Petrossian’s supporters turned up. Not one policeman in any of the photos I took is armed at all.
Nevertheless, police were assembled to prevent what would have been an unauthorized rally in Liberty Square and as A1 Plus reports they instead gathered opposite the Opera.
Since morning “Azatutyan” Square (Liberty Square) has been surrounded by policemen grouped on the sidewalks or walking to and fro. Police buses and cars rest right in the square center.
Most probably the reason is the march to be conducted by opposition leaders from “Azatutyan” Square to Tsitsernakaberd at 15.00.
April 24 is not the day when Armenians anywhere need clashes between the radical opposition and the police, but for a few minutes there was one problem. At first the police refused to allow Ter-Petrossian’s supporters to walk on the road and demanded they stay on the sidewalk. At one point a policeman grabbed my arm to push me on to the street, but I refused to move and he let go. The police also backed down with participants of the walk and they took over one lane of traffic. To be fair, the night before, ARF-D youth had also taken over one side of Baghramian Avenue so it’s not as if the police always work to keep the road open. Of course, it is unknown whether the march was legally sanctioned or not.
Still, it was a promising sign. Although there were many police escorting the protesters, they were unarmed and not decked out in riot gear. Moreover, and setting quite a precedented compared to any other opposition rally in close proximity to the government buildings on the road, the police outside the presidential palace were also wearing normal uniform. There were no red berets or riot police although I’m sure there were probably some hidden away on an adjoining street in case the situation got out of hand. As it was, apart from whistles and the near-constant shouts of “Levon, President,” there were no incidents.
The situation remained the same until approaching Tsitsernakaberd with senior police officers even communicating with senior members of Ter-Petrossian’s team about the route. And all this despite the perhaps inappropriate slogans and emotions from some among Ter-Petrossian’s supporters. The quotes in the report by A1 Plus are unfortunate.
People flew into a rage when the procession was passing by the Presidential Residence. Three circles of policemen enclosed it.
“So many people are filled with hatred towards him! I wonder how he is going to live with the genocide of 2008 on his shoulders”, exclaimed a woman.
“We are not even able to free our country from “turks” how can we struggle against real Ottoman Turks? How can we call the Turks to order?” complained a former professor who did not want her name to be revealed.
Anyway, the procession proceeded without incident until Tsitsernakaberd where Ter-Petrossian was waiting at the bottom of the hill leading up to the memorial. PanArmenian.Net condenses the day’s opposition rally into a few paragraphs and my photos follow to do the same pictorially.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan laid flowers to the Memorial to Armenian Genocide victims.
Earlier, opposition supporters marched from the center of Yerevan toward Tsitsernakaberd. Ter-Petrosyan joined the march at the foot of Tsitsernakaberd hill.
Keeping silent at the beginning, the oppositionists accompanied Ter-Petrosyan to the Memorial crying out “Levon President” slogan, Novosti Armenia reports.
Today’s march started at the monument to Martiros Saryan, since Liberty Square was cordoned by the police. Despite numerous requests, the opposition supporters blocked the traffic in the central streets leading to the Tsitsernakaberd. The march was headed by Republic party leader Aram Sargsyan and People’s Party leader Stepan Demirchyan.
Of course, April 24 is not about the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D), the government or the radical opposition. It is about Armenians worldwide and so, to end, some photos of other citizens who also made the journey up to Tsitsernakaberd to pay their respects to the memory of those that died in the Armenian Genocide.
Photos: Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008
- Published:
- 04.24.08 / 11pm by Onnik
- Category:
- Armenia, Armenia Presidential Election 2008, Candidates, Demonstrations, Genocide, History, Photojournalism, Police, Rallies, Turkey
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