The original version of this article contained multiple errors and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information. This post was updated with new information Jan. 31 to more accurately describe the protest’s intent.
Their mouths covered with bands of bright orange tape, about 50 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-Armenian 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. So denying it or ignoring its consequences is perpetuating the cycle of genocide because it condones the action,” she said.
Kalbakian said she thinks the Armenian Genocide and the way governments respond to it are a contemporary issue. She said the protest was relevant partially because National Holocaust Remembrance Day fell on Monday and a California assembly bill encouraging schools to teach about the Armenian Genocide passed earlier this week.
She added that the anniversary of the 2007 assassination of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist who was outspoken about Armenian and minority rights, occurred Jan. 19. Dink’s assassination has become a symbol of racism in Turkish society.
Kalbakian said she is a great-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.
Correction: Natalie Kalbakian is the great-grandchild of survivors of the Armenian genocide. A quote included in the article was incorrectly transcribed. The name of the All-Armenian Students Association was misspelled. The previous version of the article miscalculated the number of individuals in attendance at Thursday’s event.