5,000 to protest on 97 anniversary of Armenian Genocide
The Daily Star
23/4/2012
BEIRUT: On the 97 anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, 5,000 people are expected to protest Tuesday in front of the Turkish Embassy in Beirut against Ankara’s refusal to recognize the mass killings as genocide.
The commemoration will kick off with a Mass at the Armenian Orthodox Catholicosate in Antelias, north of Beirut, at 9:30 a.m. Following the Mass, which is expected to gather around 10,000 people, a prayer will be said for the souls of those who were killed in the tragic events.
At noon, 5,000 people are expected to head to the Turkish Embassy in Beirut where they will burn Turkish flags in protest of Ankara’s refusal to recognize the genocide.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their forebears were killed in 1915 and 1916 by the Ottoman Empire, which broke up after the end of World War I.
Turkey disputes the figure, arguing that 500,000 people died and that their deaths were not the result of genocide.
