Dozens of Armenian Americans gathered outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington DC on Wednesday to mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
The protest, organised by the Armenian National Committee, is held annually to demand both Turkey and the US government acknowledge the massacre of Armenians that occurred between 1915 and 1923.
Turkish supporters held a counter-protest in front of the residence. Footage shows the Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Serdar Kilic walking outside and speaking to the crowd of supporters.
Aram Hamparian from the Armenian National Committee of America said that “the precedent set by Turkish denial of the Armenian genocide makes the world a less safe place. The idea that the genocide can be committed with impunity is a threat to all humanity and it’s certainly a threat to Armenia, which is bordered by an unrepentant perpetrator of the genocide.”
The Armenian Genocide took place during the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923. It is estimated between 600,000 and 1.8 million people died during the period. The Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day commemorations take place every year on 24 April.