The AYF-WUS Strongly Condemns Being Prohibited From Distributing April 24 Flyers at St. Mary’s Church
On Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023, two members of the Armenian Youth Federation Western United States (AYF-WUS) Glendale “Roupen” Chapter visited the St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church in Glendale to hand out flyers inviting the local community to this year’s April 24 commemorative event for the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The event being promoted by the flyers is an official part of April 24 events supported by the Armenian Genocide Committee (AGC), a unified coalition of community organizations working together that includes the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of which St. Mary’s Church is a part of. Distributing the April 24 flyers at church as a method of promotion has been utilized for decades at this exact location during Easter weekend. However, this year, the two AYF members, while placing flyers on parked vehicles, were approached by individuals who claim to be in charge of the church property, and were told to vacate the premises. These same individuals are also part of a rogue illegitimate group claiming to be the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western United States (ARF-WUS). Despite the AYF members explaining they had permission to distribute the flyers regarding the April 24 Rally For Humanity, the people claiming they were in charge of the church deployed their security guards to remove all flyers and throw them in the trash while intimidating our AYF members.
The AYF-WUS Central Executive strongly condemns the actions of these individuals who acted on behalf of the illegitimate group claiming to be the ARF-WUS. The dishonorable behavior of Vache Harutunian, Krikor Kazandjian, Yervant Topalakian, and Karekin Karazian undermines the interests of our community and the Armenian Cause. Instead of empowering and embracing young Armenian community leaders trying to do Hye Tahd work, they opted to instead suppress participation in the April 24 rally in front of the Turkish Consulate and silence our voices.
Instructions given to remove flyers 
Karekin Kirazian, expelled from ARF, led a group of hooligans who removed April 24 flyers distributed by the AYF at St. Mary’s Church in Glendale
The shameful acts of this rogue group on the days leading up to the April 24 commemoration are a direct insult to the memory of our ancestors who perished and were also driven from their communities and exiled from their homes. While this group continues to claim that they mobilize Diasporan youth, these efforts to obstruct the activism of the youth for nefarious purposes come at the expense of unifying our community during our Homeland’s most vulnerable period of the twenty-first century.
In a time where we find the existence of our Homeland being threatened by neighboring genocidal countries, it is our duty as Armenians living outside our borders to continue to fight for the preservation of our national identity and unity. The AYF-WUS Central Executive urges all community members to stand up against such divisive behavior and refuses to tolerate these actions against any AYF members. The actions taken by these individuals are further evidence that they are actively working against the collective efforts of the Armenian youth in the Diaspora toward our cause for a Free, Independent, and United Hayrenik.
Armenian Youth Federation
Western United States
Central Executive
