Jeering chants rang out from the crowd of protesters gathered around Dykstra Hall and De Neve Plaza on Saturday night, while applause filled the formal dining room just yards away in the Tom Bradley International Building.
Both were directed at Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), whose controversial position on the House resolution to officially recognize the Armenian genocide drew a crowd of protestors outside of the gala celebrating her acceptance of UCLA’s Jacoby Award for international awareness.
Harman, who claims much of Los Angeles’ large Armenian-American population as her constituency, surprised voters in early October when she withdrew her support for the resolution that would recognize Turkey’s genocidal attack on the Armenian population in 1915.
Nearly 200 UCLA students and members of the Armenian community in Los Angeles carried signs and banners labeling Harman a “hypocrite, liar, genocide denier” and chanting “shame on Harman” as guests arrived for the gala.
“(Harman) had spoken out saying that her parents were Holocaust survivors, saying that the Armenian genocide was an issue that needed to be recognized and be properly understood,” said Vache Thomassian, a fourth-year legal studies student at UC Berkeley and member of the Armenian Youth Federation, a community-based organization.
“Although Harman was a co-sponsor of the resolution, behind closed doors she has been working against the resolution.”
Harman was one of the co-sponsors of HR 106 when it was put before the Foreign Affairs Committee.
After a visit to Turkey earlier this year, though, Harman sent a letter to the committee chairman, later posted on her Web site, in which she revoked her support for the resolution and urged him to do the same.
In the letter, Harman cited her two primary reasons for withdrawing support for the resolution: Turkey’s critical role in “moderating extremist forces” in the Middle East and that the resolution would be “destabilizing not only to Armenian-Turkish relations but also to our efforts to create stability in the greater Middle East.”
“We want to send a message from the UCLA community … that we don’t want to put politics over humanity. It’s humanity over politics,” said Chris Khachatryan, president of the Armenian Student Association.
UCLA’s Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars chose to honor Harman’s achievements in promoting international awareness with the Jacoby Award and held a gala in her honor, featuring cocktails and a formal dinner.
The event also serves as the Dashew Center’s primary annual fundraiser, with tickets for Saturday’s event ranging from $250 for one ticket to $50,000 for three premier tables.
While Harman has done a great deal for the international community, her actions toward HR 106 downplay those contributions significantly, said Iren Tatevosyan, director of publicity for the Armenian Student Association.
“Someone who’s getting an award for international understanding should not use backdoor politics to undermine such a heavy issue in international relations,” she added.
Raffi Kassabian, a law student and the executive officer of the Armenian Graduate Student Society did not share Harman’s concern that the resolution could have adverse effects on the war effort in Iraq.
“That sort of theory is dangerous to me, because it gives countries like Turkey the green light to bully the United States in an international arena,” he said.
Many of the signs and banners at the protest echoed Kassabian’s feelings.
“Genocide denial not a perk to friendship,” “Turkish lobby = foreign blackmail” and “the time for truth is now,” were just a few of the statements displayed for guests of the Jacoby Award Gala to see as they made their way inside the building.
After an hour of picketing, the protestors gathered around the steps in front of De Neve Plaza for a press conference in which several speakers shared their view on both the Armenian genocide and on Harman’s actions on HR 106.
Among the speakers were Michelle Lyon, a general representative for the Undergraduate Student Associations Council, and Karina Garcia, a UCLA alumna and one of the founding members of the Darfur Action Committee.
The protest was co-sponsored by the Armenian Graduate Student Society and the Armenian Student Society, in cooperation with the Darfur Action Committee, the Students for a Democratic Society and the Armenian Youth Federation.
The event drew UCLA students as well as Los Angeles residents who heard about the protest and turned out to show their support.
Among them was Raffi Hamparian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee’s Western Region, who said he was optimistic about the efforts being made to achieve official recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Also in attendance Saturday were several high school students from Holy Martyr Ferrahian High School who came to the protest prepared with signs and banners.