Anti-Armenian flyers promoting 'completion of genocide' appear in Glendale
GLENDALE, Calif. - Anti-Armenian flyers, promoting the completion of the Armenian Genocide, were spotted in Glendale Friday.
The flyers were posted on light poles near St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church and other areas of the city. Glendale police say a passerby saw the disturbing flyers and called police to report it.
"As mayor of Glendale, I'm very disturbed and upset that speech inciting violence against Armenians has visited our city by way of individuals vandalizing our city with hate-filled flyers," Mayor Ardy Kassakhian said in a statement. "Our police are taking this issue seriously and will be investigating this as a hate crime. I speak for our residents and our council when I say that Glendale is not a place for hate speech against Armenians or any other group."
The flyer read "NEVER AGAIN does not apply to GOYIM (Armenia) Israel FULLY SUPPORTS our Azeri-Turk Brothers to complete Armenian Genocide."
Police are canvassing the area and looking at surveillance video to see who is responsible.
"So far we do have a surveillance footage of a subject, unfortunately unidentifiable, but he is dressed in all black, carrying a satchel with what appears to be more flyers in his satchel," said police captain Robert William. Police said they found at least 11 flyers posted throughout the city Friday morning.
Similar anti-Armenian flyers were posted in Beverly Hills in January.
The Armenian National Committee Glendale Chapter condemned the hate incident and said the incident in Glendale and Beverly Hills showcases a troubling trend of anti-Armenian sentiment and rise in hate crimes.
"As an organization dedicated to the well-being and advancement of the Armenian-American community, we are deeply disturbed by these hateful acts, and we call on local authorities to thoroughly investigate these incidents and hold the perpetrators accountable," the ANCA wrote in a post online.
Is democracy in Armenia worth the price?
A top Los Angeles lawmakers tells FOX 11 he has met with the Biden administration to urge immediate action as 120,000 Armenians are facing a humanitarian catastrophe. FOX 11's Christina Pascucci visited Armenia recently. She has the stories from people on the ground.
On April 24, 1915, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred at the hands of the Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey). To this day Turkey and their ally, Azerbaijan, deny the genocide.
In September of 2020, Azerbaijan launched a full scale war on the Republic of Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh). Artsakh is occupied by indigenous Armenians and has been under a blockade by Azerbaijan for over 100 days. The Lachin Corridor has been closed by Azerbaijan since December 12, limiting Artsakh's access to food and medical care. During the blockade, Azerbaijan cut off power to Artsakh, leaving residents without heat in the freezing cold winter. It is the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia and the rest of the world.
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Since the war began in 2020, Azerbaijan, with support from Turkey, have been accused of ethnic cleansing.
In 2021, President Joe Biden became the first US president to formally recognize the genocide.
The flyers were posted just a day before the start of Armenian History Month. Glendale and Los Angeles have the largest population of Armenians outside of the country itself.