PROTESTERS PICKET INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS AWARD GALA
Samantha Bryson (Contact)
The UCLA Daily Bruin, CA
Nov 13 2007
Demonstrators object to honoree’s withdrawal of support for resolution
recognizing genocide
Jeering chants rang out from the crowd of protesters gathered around
Dykstra Hall and De Neve Plaza on Saturday night, while applause
filled the formal dining room just yards away in the Tom Bradley
International Building.
Both were directed at Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), whose controversial
position on the House resolution to officially recognize the Armenian
genocide drew a crowd of protestors outside of the gala celebrating
her acceptance of UCLA’s Jacoby Award for international awareness.
Harman, who claims much of Los Angeles’ large Armenian-American
population as her constituency, surprised voters in early October
when she withdrew her support for the resolution that would recognize
Turkey’s genocidal attack on the Armenian population in 1915.
Nearly 200 UCLA students and members of the Armenian community in Los
Angeles carried signs and banners labeling Harman a "hypocrite, liar,
genocide denier" and chanting "shame on Harman" as guests arrived
for the gala.
"(Harman) had spoken out saying that her parents were Holocaust
survivors, saying that the Armenian genocide was an issue that needed
to be recognized and be properly understood," said Vache Thomassian,
a fourth-year legal studies student at UC Berkeley and member of the
Armenian Youth Federation, a community-based organization.
"Although Harman was a co-sponsor of the resolution, behind closed
doors she has been working against the resolution."
Harman was one of the co-sponsors of HR 106 when it was put before
the Foreign Affairs Committee.
After a visit to Turkey earlier this year, though, Harman sent a letter
to the committee chairman, later posted on her Web site, in which she
revoked her support for the resolution and urged him to do the same.
In the letter, Harman cited her two primary reasons for withdrawing
support for the resolution: Turkey’s critical role in "moderating
extremist forces" in the Middle East and that the resolution would be
"destabilizing not only to Armenian-Turkish relations but also to
our efforts to create stability in the greater Middle East."
"We want to send a message from the UCLA community … that we don’t
want to put politics over humanity. It’s humanity over politics,"
said Chris Khachatryan, president of the Armenian Student Association.
UCLA’s Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars chose to
honor Harman’s achievements in promoting international awareness with
the Jacoby Award and held a gala in her honor, featuring cocktails
and a formal dinner.
The event also serves as the Dashew Center’s primary annual fundraiser,
with tickets for Saturday’s event ranging from $250 for one ticket
to $50,000 for three premier tables.
While Harman has done a great deal for the international community,
her actions toward HR 106 downplay those contributions significantly,
said Iren Tatevosyan, director of publicity for the Armenian Student
Association.
"Someone who’s getting an award for international understanding
should not use backdoor politics to undermine such a heavy issue in
international relations," she added.
Raffi Kassabian, a law student and the executive officer of the
Armenian Graduate Student Society did not share Harman’s concern that
the resolution could have adverse effects on the war effort in Iraq.
"That sort of theory is dangerous to me, because it gives countries
like Turkey the green light to bully the United States in an
international arena," he said.
Many of the signs and banners at the protest echoed Kassabian’s
feelings.
"Genocide denial not a perk to friendship," "Turkish lobby = foreign
blackmail" and "the time for truth is now," were just a few of the
statements displayed for guests of the Jacoby Award Gala to see as
they made their way inside the building.
After an hour of picketing, the protestors gathered around the steps
in front of De Neve Plaza for a press conference in which several
speakers shared their view on both the Armenian genocide and on
Harman’s actions on HR 106.
Among the speakers were Michelle Lyon, a general representative for the
Undergraduate Student Associations Council, and Karina Garcia, a UCLA
alumna and one of the founding members of the Darfur Action Committee.
The protest was co-sponsored by the Armenian Graduate Student Society
and the Armenian Student Society, in cooperation with the Darfur
Action Committee, the Students for a Democratic Society and the
Armenian Youth Federation.
The event drew UCLA students as well as Los Angeles residents who
heard about the protest and turned out to show their support.
Among them was Raffi Hamparian, chairman of the Armenian National
Committee’s Western Region, who said he was optimistic about the
efforts being made to achieve official recognition of the Armenian
genocide.
Also in attendance Saturday were several high school students from
Holy Martyr Ferrahian High School who came to the protest prepared
with signs and banners.
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