Thousands set to march in LA on Armenian Genocide anniv.

Thousands set to march in LA on Armenian Genocide anniv.

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tens of thousands of people are expected to march through the streets of Hollywood and LA's Mid-City area Tuesday, April 24 to mark the 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, NBC Connecticut reports.

The first of two gatherings is set for 10 a.m., with a march organized by Unified Young Armenians beginning near Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue in Little Armenia. Thousands of Armenians and their supporters are expected to make their annual trek to the event, carrying flags and signs denouncing the Genocide and calling on the United States government to officially recognize it.

After a rally in Little Armenia, participants will march on a circular route east on Hollywood Boulevard, south on Normandie Avenue, west on Sunset Boulevard then north on Hobart Boulevard. Los Angeles police said all the affected streets will be closed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A second rally, organized by the Armenian Genocide Committee, will begin around midday at Pan Pacific Park at 7600 Beverly Blvd., ending at the Turkish Consulate at 6300 Wilshire Blvd. The march will proceed south adjacent to The Grove shopping center, then west on Third Street, south on Fairfax Avenue then west on Wilshire Boulevard.

LAPD officials said all streets affected by the march will be closed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On Tuesday, April 24, Armenians worldwide are commemorating the 103rd anniversary of the Genocide which began in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.

Despite calls by some legislators -- most notably Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank -- for the federal government to formally recognize the Genocide, U.S. presidents have long refused to do so. President Donald Trump last year continued that tradition in his first year in office, issuing a statement denouncing the deaths as "one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th Century" but failing to use the term "genocide."

Former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, also failed to recognize the Genocide during his eight years in office, despite indications during his original campaign that he would do so.

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