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UCLA students protest to draw attention to Armenian Genocide

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  • UCLA students protest to draw attention to Armenian Genocide

    Daily Bruin: University of California - Los Angeles
    January 30, 2014 Thursday

    UCLA students protest to draw attention to Armenian Genocide

    Fiona Kirby Janet Nguyen Ariana Ricarte


    By Fiona Kirby, Janet Nguyen and Ariana Ricarte

    Their mouths covered with bands of bright orange tape, about 15
    students stood in a straight line in front of Kerckhoff Hall on
    Thursday to protest and educate students about the Armenian Genocide.

    The Armenian Students' Association at UCLA organized the silent
    protest, which occurred from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    The event was part of a movement organized by the All-Amernian
    Students Association called "Stain of Denial." Armenian students'
    associations from several campuses across California protested the
    Armenian Genocide and its denial by countries such as the United
    States on the same day.

    UC Berkeley, Occidental College and USC are among the other colleges
    participating in the movement.

    The Armenian Genocide is traditionally dated from 1915 to 1923, when
    Turkish authorities in the collapsing Ottoman Empire killed about 1.5
    million Armenians, according to the New York Times.

    Some nations, such as Turkey, deny that the genocide happened.
    Currently, it is not formally recognized by the United States,
    according to the New York Times.

    Students at UCLA held signs that read "Stop the Cycle of Genocide" and
    "In Memory of the 1.5 Million Armenians Massacred by the Ottoman
    Turks, 1915-1923." Other students stood by tables along Bruin Walk,
    handing out informational flyers to passing students.

    The Armenian Students' Association's main concern is getting the
    genocide explicitly recognized, said Natalie Kalbakian, the vice
    president of the Armenian Students' Association.

    "Genocide is a human issue, and denying it or not even caring about it
    is perpetuating genocide," she said.

    Kalbakian said she is a grandchild of genocide survivors and grew up
    listening to their firsthand accounts.

    "People who want to politicize (the genocide) tell us to move on. But
    that doesn't change the fact that it happened," said Kalbakian, a
    second-year political science student. "We're great-grandchildren of
    genocide survivors. We still have open wounds."

    Kalbakian said some of the genocide survivors in her family rarely
    talked about their experiences because they still have emotional scars
    and have not had any closure.

    Mane Khachatryan, a third-year English student and social chair of the
    Armenian Students' Association, said she hopes UCLA student groups
    will band together to push legislation to get the Armenian Genocide
    recognized.

    Angel Abajian, a member of the Armenian Students' Association, said
    she hopes the Armenian genocide will become as commonly recognized as
    the Holocaust.

    More than 300 students stopped by the protest, Kalbakian said.

    Some of the passersby said they had never heard of the Armenian
    Genocide before Thursday's protest.

    Sean Yancey, a fourth-year history student, said that after speaking
    to the association's members, he plans to research more about the
    oppression that the Armenian population had experienced.

    Contributing reports by Hee Jae Choi, Bruin contributor.


    From: Baghdasarian
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