Protesting to Make the World Remember the Armenian Genocide

In 1915, the young Turks of the Ottoman Empire, known formally as the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), planned and gave the orders to start executing en masse, the Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire. Those not killed were exiled from their homes, forced into Syria; this lasted until 1918, when World War I ended.

When the Turkish Nationalists came to power, they planned and administered another genocide in 1920, which lasted until 1923. Analysts estimate that from 1915 to 1923, more than 1.5 million Armenians were tortured and executed, and more than 1 million were exiled to Syria while others died from starvation, illness and exhaustion. By the end of 1923, not a single Armenian was left in West Armenia, or Asia Minor.

Typically, when people think about genocide, they remember Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust of World War II, or of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, but no one ever remembers the 1915 Armenian Genocide. After 100 years, the world will ignore this long-forgotten event no longer, as protesters are rising once again to make people remember.

September 1915: Henry I Morgenthau Ambassador Protests

Located on Constantinople at the time, the Ambassador, Henry I Morgenthau, protested the Armenian Genocide, saying that because he failed to stop the Turkish government form massacring the Armenians, Turkey became a "place of horrors," and that he could no longer work with the men who, "were still reeking with the blood of nearly one million human beings." In fact, he detested the situation so much that he stepped down in February 1916.

April 1965: Soviet Armenians Protest

In the former Soviet Union, 100,000 Armenians protested in the city of Yerevan to remember the 50th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. During this protest, the Armenian people demanded the return of land that was taken from then in the republic of Azerbaijan, which neighbors Yerevan. Because of these protests, the Armenians were allowed to build a monument later that year to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

June 1974: Newly Declassified Cable Shows Turkey Ambassador Tries to Hide Genocide with Protests

Cables that were declassified in 2006 proved that in June of 1974, Selcuk Esenbel, Turkey's ambassador at the time, protested the signing of the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Essentially, Turkey attempted to hide the fact that the genocide happened, but the UN had already recognized the event, and established a permanent record.

April 23, 1975: Armenians Demonstrate to Commemorate

The Armenian-American population living in the U.S. demonstrated on April 24, 1975, in Connecticut to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Called Armenian Martyr Day, the demonstrators rallied for Armenian rights from noon until 3 p.m., and then paraded to the United Nations Building afterward.

April 25, 1991: Protesters Mark 75th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide in California

Across from the Turkish Consulate in California on Wednesday, April 24, 1991, Armenian protesters, including Art Bashmakian of Montebello, and Armenian Garo Bashmakian, who was waving the Armenian flag, gathered to mark the 75th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

April 22, 2011: Armenian Americans Gather to Protest President Obama

More recently, the protests have turned their focus on President Barack Obama and the U.S. 1,500 Armenian demonstrators gathered in Los Angeles to protest President Obama's lack of honor. The protesters were referring to a promise Obama made to recognize the massacre as a genocide, which is something he has yet to do as president.