Glendale residents join rally at Azerbaijani Consulate after deaths of ethnic Armenians overseas

Several thousand area Armenian-American residents rallied in front of the Azerbaijani Consulate Friday afternoon in protest of attacks on ethnic Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Fighting between both groups flared up on April 1 and ensued for days until forces on each side came to a cease-fire.

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Shortly after the attacks began, the Glendale-based Armenian Youth Federation began mobilizing to bring the Los Angeles Armenian community together for a rally in front of the Azerbaijani Consulate.

They distributed fliers in Glendale and spread the word about the rally via commercials on local Armenian television channels and social media.

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Students protest outside the Azerbaijan Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016. A few thousand people chanted and held signs on the 11,700 bock of Wilshire Blvd., where the consulate offices are located, over the recent attacks on the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Nesrob Chelebian, of Tarzana and who is Syrian Armenian, shows his feelings on a sign during protest outside the Azerbaijan Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016. A few thousand people chanted and held signs on the 11,700 bock of Wilshire Blvd., where the consulate offices are located, over the recent attacks on the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Norik Bedrossian of Glendale waves a flag and chants during protest outside the Azerbaijan Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016. A few thousand people chanted and held signs on the 11,700 bock of Wilshire Blvd., where the consulate offices are located, over the recent attacks on the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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A large group of people gathered to protest outside the Azerbaijan Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016. A few thousand people chanted and held signs on the 11,700 bock of Wilshire Blvd., where the consulate offices are located, over the recent attacks on the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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A large group of people held signs and chanted in protest outside the Azerbaijan Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016. A few thousand people chanted and held signs on the 11,700 bock of Wilshire Blvd., where the consulate offices are located, over the recent attacks on the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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People hold signs and flags during protest outside the Azerbaijan Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016. A few thousand people chanted and held signs on the 11,700 bock of Wilshire Blvd., where the consulate offices are located, over the recent attacks on the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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A woman who did not want to identify herself holds a sign during protest outside the Azerbaijan Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016. A few thousand people chanted and held signs on the 11,700 bock of Wilshire Blvd., where the consulate offices are located, over the recent attacks on the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Thousands came from throughout Southern California to protest outside the Azerbaijan Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016. A few thousand people chanted and held signs on the 11,700 bock of Wilshire Blvd., where the consulate offices are located, over the recent attacks on the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

“Our goal with this rally is to get the community together in condemnation of the attacks,” said Alik Ourfalian, spokeswoman for the federation.

The fighting that began several days ago left more than 60 people dead, according to the Associated Press, and signified “the most violent” conflicts since Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh came to a truce in 1994, Ourfalian said.

That agreement left Nagorno-Karabakh under control of the Armenian military but part of Azerbaijan.

Among the protesters on Friday was 19-year old Lori Sinanian, a Glendale resident and student at Glendale Community College.

“We’re standing in solidarity, doing what’s right, what has to be done,” she said.

Although the rally was not set to begin until 1 p.m., hundreds had already gathered by then in front of the consulate on Wilshire Boulevard.

The crowd of both young and old grew as light rain continued to fall.

For 24-year-old Razmig Sarkissian, a Montebello resident and teacher, the rally “comes down to a really simple issue,” he said. “It’s about whether the people who live where they live have a right to decide how to govern their lives.”

San Fernando Valley resident Mikael Matossian, 21, who oversees chapters of the All-Armenian Student Assn. throughout Southern California, said he has been networking with those chapters to rally behind the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and their troops, many of whom are not yet 20 years old, he said.

As he looked at the crowd marching in front of the consulate, he added, “It’s not just old people, it’s not just young people — it’s everyone. We’re fighting for our homeland. For centuries, it’s been Armenian land.”

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Kelly Corrigan, [email protected]

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan

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