CLEVELAND — The Armenian community in Cleveland came together for a memorial service and peaceful protest calling for the end of attacks on Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Demonstrators gathered in Richmond Heights Sunday afternoon to hold a memorial for those who have lost their lives in attacks on the country that began on Sept. 27.
The Cleveland Armenians at the demonstration then protested, calling for an end of Azerbaijan “targeting and shelling of civilian-populated areas” in Armenia.
At least 220 people have been killed since the attacks began.
Many of those in attendance have family in the war zone who are directly impacted by the surge of violence in the country and said they are reminded of the 1915 Armenian genocide.
“Today in the time of the internet, where the news can get on the internet in a matter of seconds, why is the world still silent?” said Father Hratch Sargsyan, Pastor of the local Armenian Church. “We are raising our voices as a community to get the attention of our American brothers and sisters here, our community, because no one speaks about this on the news.”
The event’s message urged the immediate passage of House Resolution 1165, a bipartisan resolution “condemning Azerbaijan’s coordinated offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and denouncing Turkish interference in the conflict.”
