CHICAGO, Ill.—On Wed., April 24, more than 100 demonstrators from Chicago’s Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and Cypriot communities joined a protest organized by the Chicago “Ararat” Chapter of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) against Turkey’s ongoing and aggressive campaign of denial of the Armenian Genocide.
Turkish demonstrators chanting, ‘You deserved it! You deserved it!’
The demonstrators gathered in front of Chicago’s NBC Tower, the new home of the Turkish Consulate, around 11 a.m. waving Armenian and American flags, holding signs, and chanting such phrases as “Recognize the Genocide,” “Turkey is a liar,” and “Turkey run, Turkey hide, Turkey is guilt of Genocide.” Soon after, small groups of Turkish and Azeri counter-demonstrators exited the building, presumably from the Turkish Consulate offices, to take up positions on the opposite side of the street from the Armenian picket lines.
The Turkish counter-demonstrators began shouting slogans and cursing in Turkish at the protestors as Turkish Consul General Fatih Yildiz looked on. At one point, the Turkish group began shouting, “You deserved it! You deserved it!” and “Talat was right!” referencing genocide-mastermind Talat Pasha and essentially admitting to Turkey’s culpability in the genocides of the Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks during and after World War I.
Despite repeated attempts by the Turks to intimidate and provoke the protestors even as Chicago police looked on, the AYF-led group maintained their discipline and continued with their picket for two hours. The protest concluded with the singing of “Mer Hairenik” and ‘Haratch Nahadag.”
AYF-led protestors demonstrating in front of the Turkish Consulate at the NBC Tower in Chicago