January 29, 2023
On January 23rd, 2023 the Armenian Youth Federation Western United States (AYF-WUS) publicly announced a community-wide March for Artsakh to take place on January 28th. The March was planned for Armenians and their allies in the Greater Los Angeles area to meet at the U.S. Federal Building on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles to march toward the Azerbaijani Consulate.
Upon the Armenian community’s arrival at the U.S. Federal Building on January 28th to exercise their first amendment right to protest, community members were shocked to see various flyers posted around on Los Angeles city property that read “Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, Israel equals four brothers [that] will wipe Armenia off the map inshallah.”
At a time when racism and hate are at the forefront of Western society, Armenians are still being targeted and threatened with hate crimes for existing and fighting to protect that very existence. The AYF-WUS will not stay silent in the face of any injustice, whether it be the attempt at Genocide of our compatriots in Artsakh suffering under blockade, or threatening paraphernalia posted deliberately at the location of a planned public protest.
This is yet another hate crime that Armenian Americans have faced in Los Angeles, as exactly four years ago a similar incident occurred where perpetrators covered Armenian schools with Turkish flags which led to an investigation by LAPD.
This string of hate crimes also spans Northern California, where more recently, the Armenian community center and school have been threatened by more shocking acts of Armenophobia.
The AYF-WUS strongly condemns this blatant act of Armenophobia that very clearly calls for a new Armenian Genocide to take place. This hate crime is unacceptable and must be properly dealt with to prevent any future threats to the Armenian Americans of Los Angeles.
In a city with a population of more than 200,000 Armenians, we must see our newly-elected Mayor Karen Bass address this hate crime in its entirety. The AYF-WUS and the Armenian community demand answers and an apology for the harmful ideologies and Genocide denialism of these states that have fueled and enabled such hate crimes to take place in the first place.
Armenian Youth FederationWestern United States
