UCLA Armenian Students’ Association Silently Protests Outside Kerckhoff Hall
Members of the UCLA Armenian Students’ Association gathered on the lawn outside Kerckhoff Hall today in a silent protest to advocate for political recognition of the 1915-1916 mass killings of Armenians by Turks as genocide.
Protesters stood on the lawn, with their mouths duct-taped, holding the Armenian flag. They also passed out fliers explaining their take on the issue.
The protest comes shortly after a bill was passed by the French Senate, making it a criminal offense to deny that the Turks committed genocide against the Armenians during World War I.
Razmig Sarkissian, the president of the UCLA Armenian Students’ Association, ripped duct tape off of his mouth to further explain the organization’s motives to Mojo.
The silent protest was called “Stain of Denial,” in reference to how both Turkey and the United States have yet to recognize the mass killings as ‘genocide,’ said Sarkissian, a third-year English student.
“We don’t want to see more genocides happen,” Sarkissian said. “Denial is a continuation of genocide.”
With reports by Kassy Cho, Bruin Contributor