Tens of Thousands Protest Outside L.A.’s Turkish Consulate in Solidarity with Armenia and Artsakh

Tens of thousands of Armenian Americans and their allies marched to the Turkish consulate in Beverly Hills Sunday in a show of solidarity with Armenia and Artsakh in their battle with neighboring Azerbaijan.

Video showed the massive procession make its way from the Fairfax area to Beverly Hills, with demonstrators waving Armenian flags and raising signs, some of which read “Armenia wants peace,” “Artsakh is Armenia” and “Turkey guilty of war crimes.”

In a sea of red, blue and orange, demonstrators flooded Wilshire Boulevard in a passionate call for peace. Police estimate that 100,000 people participated in the peaceful march.

Fighting broke out on Sept. 27 in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), when Azerbaijan launched full scale offensive using all sorts of military hardware.

Turkey is offering strong political support to Azerbaijan, and Armenian officials say Turkey is involved in the conflict and is sending Syrian mercenaries to fight on Azerbaijan’s side. Syrian war monitor and three Syria-based opposition activists have confirmed that Turkey has sent hundreds of Syrian jihadist mercenaries to fight in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The violence has since prompted several protests in Los Angeles, home to the largest population of Armenians outside the country itself.

The march in Beverly Hills began 3 p.m. at Pan Pacific Park on 7600 Beverly Blvd. in the Fairfax district and traveled to the Turkish consulate on 8500 Wilshire Blvd. Organizers told participants that masks are mandatory and social distancing requirements will be enforced.

A group of demonstrators also participated from their vehicles, blocking a roadway in Beverly Hills with cars displaying Armenian flags.