The California Courier Online, February 7, 2019
1 - Turkish Flags Desecrate Two Armenian
Schools in the Los Angeles Area
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Two Armenian Schools in California Vandalized with Turkish Flags
3 - Member of the National Assembly of Turkey
Garo Paylan Visits Haigazian University
4 - Dutch church ends 96-day service as Armenian family spared
deportation
5- In Berlin, PM Pashinyan, Chancellor Merkel Discuss EU
Relations, Karabakh
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1 - Turkish Flags Desecrate Two Armenian
Schools in the Los Angeles Area
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
An unknown individual wearing black clothing from head to toe hung
dozens of Turkish flags on the gates of two private Armenian schools
in the Los Angeles area during the middle of the night last week.
The news spread like wildfire in the Armenian community as this was an
unprecedented event. Given the long-standing antagonism between
Armenians and Turks emanating from the 1915 Armenian Genocide, it was
natural that most Armenians and elected officials attributed the flag
incident to one or more Turkish individuals, calling it a hate crime.
The principals of the Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School in Encino and
AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park reported that the
cameras on the perimeter of the schools recorded an individual in
black clothing hanging Turkish flags on the outside gates of both
schools, and in the case of Ferrahian, also on the stairway railings
inside the school.
The reaction of the Armenian community was swift. A press conference
was immediately organized by the coalition of the Armenian Genocide
Committee, attended by dozens of Armenian and non-Armenian media,
including several TV networks which covered the flag incident in their
nightly news. All of them referred to the Armenian Genocide committed
by Ottoman Turkey as the impetus for the vile hate crime on the
Armenian schools.
Over a dozen elected officials condemned the attack on the Armenian schools:
— Cong. Frank Pallone
— Cong. Adam Schiff
— Cong. Brad Sherman
— California State Senator Anthony Portantino
— CA State Senator Henry Stern
— CA State Assembly member Laura Friedman,
— CA State Assembly member Jesse Gabriel
— CA State Assembly member Adrin Nazarian (Ferrahian school graduate)
— Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger
— Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
— LA City Attorney Mike Feuer
— LA City Council member Bob Blumenfield
— LA City Council member Paul Koretz
— LA City Council member Paul Krekorian
— LA Unified School District Board member Scott Schmerelson
— LAUSD Police Department
— Los Angeles Police Department
Several of these officials attended last week’s press conference and
strongly condemned the attack on the schools. Cong. Sherman urged the
FBI to investigate the incident as a hate crime. Los Angeles City
Council member Paul Koretz described the incident as “the equivalent
of putting a Nazi swastika on the side of a Jewish school.”
The principals of both schools held assemblies with their students
reassuring them that all necessary precautions have been taken for
their safety. Ferrahian students organized a march in the vicinity of
the school, protesting against the Turkish vandalism, while holding
Armenian tricolor flags. The Los Angeles Police Department intensified
its patrol of all Armenian schools in the area to prevent the
re-occurrence of a similar incident.
Two Ministries of the Republic of Armenia also issued statements
condemning the attacks against the Armenian schools in the Los Angeles
area. Arayik Harutyunyan, Minister of Education and Science, stated
that the hanging of Turkish flags at the two Armenian schools “causes
indignation, since such demonstration of hatred in our schools in our
days is simply unacceptable and incomprehensible to the civilized
world.” The Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia also
condemned the hate crime against the Armenian schools “intended to
discredit the Armenian Genocide.” The Ministry expressed its
solidarity with the Armenian community: “We firmly condemn all actions
based on hatred, intolerance, and illegality.”
Armen Baibourtian, Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in the
Western United States, located in Glendale, California, also condemned
the attack against the two schools: “The Consulate strongly condemns
manifestations of hatred directed at the Armenian educational
institutions and the entire Armenian Community in Los Angeles,
sturdily supporting the common stance of the Los Angeles Armenian
Community on this issue.” Also condemning the attack were several
Armenian-American organizations. In addition, the Assyrian American
Association of Southern California issued a statement calling the
vandalism “a disgusting act of bigotry that was perpetrated to incite
fear in these students and in the community at large. To both our
communities, the Turkish flag represents more than just a flag. It is
a symbol of oppression and genocide; a symbol of millions murdered,
the children that were torn away from their families, the years of
persecution our ancestors endured; and a symbol of outright,
systematic denial of a dark history that created wounds still open to
this very day.”
On the other hand, the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles called the
incident “a defamation campaign against Turkey.” The Consulate also
posted on its Facebook page a statement by the Association of Turkish
Americans of Southern California (ATASC), claiming that “the Turkish
American community has not been part of the deliberate provocation
staged today in Los Angeles.” By describing the vandalism as a
“deliberate provocation staged today,” ATASC is shamelessly implying
that the vile act was committed by Armenians against their own
schools.
This is the same baseless accusation made by several Turkish
individuals on social media, further enraging the Armenian community.
It is not surprising that the Turkish Association and the Turkish
Consulate deny the involvement of a Turk in this incident. After all,
when the Turkish government denies the genocide of 1.5 million
Armenians, it can easily deny a flag incident. Neither the Turkish
Association nor the Turkish Consulate is in a position to know that
not a single Turk was involved in this attack.
The Los Angeles Armenian community organizations, the Consulate
General of Armenia, and the two Ministers of the Republic of Armenia
acted swiftly and properly in condemning the attack on the two
Armenian schools. The messages of solidarity expressed by over a dozen
elected officials have reassured the community that the local, state
and federal governments are seriously pursuing the suspects of the
vandalism in conjunction with law enforcement officials. Such
solidarity would hopefully preempt any further attacks on local
Armenian schools and prevent their escalation. Under these
circumstances, it would be unwise and unnecessary for Armenians to
take matters into their own hands by staging a counter-attack against
Turkish targets. Fortunately, law enforcement officials are
professionally dealing with the incident. They will make public their
findings as soon as they identify the perpetrators.
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2- Two Armenian Schools in California Vandalized with Turkish Flags
ENCINO, Calif. (Combined Sources)—The Los Angeles Police Department
(LAPD) is investigating what they are calling an alleged ‘hate
incident’ at two Armenian private schools after officials say their
campuses were vandalized with Turkish flags on Monday, January 28.
School officials from AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School and Holy
Martyrs Ferrahian High School in the San Fernando Valley notified
families of the incident Tuesday morning.
In pictures that have been widely circulated in the Armenian community
on social media, Turkish flags are seen scattered about on campus,
hanging on the entrance gates to the school and on stairways that lead
to classrooms and offices. At Ferrahian in Encino, the Turkish flags
were hanging feet away from the steps leading to the church on-site.
Meantime at AGBU in Canoga Park, officials say classes are still in
session, but campus is on lockdown until further notice. Parents are
being asked to park off-campus and walk to the main security gate
during pick-up and drop-off. They can also expect to see police
on-campus during drop-off Wednesday morning. One father told the
Armenian Weekly that some parents want to pick up their children early
from school.
In a statement to school families, Principal Sossi Shanlian explained
classes are still in session at Ferrahian but that the school is
taking extra precaution to ensure the safety of its student body.
The Armenian community is outraged, both by these targeted acts
against their schools and churches and law enforcement’s use of the
word ‘incident’ instead of ‘crime.’ AGBU school officials say police
are labeling it as an incident because a crime was not committed.
“They did not trespass or leave any note or any indication of a
threat,” read the statement.
The red and white Turkish flags have since come down, and in their
place, students have draped their school—their second home—with the
tri-colors of the Armenian flag.
“Last night, hateful acts of vandalism and trespassing were directed
against Holy Martyrs Ferrahian School and AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian
School in the San Fernando Valley as school officials reported finding
Turkish flags hanging on campus as they arrived at school in the
morning. The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
strongly condemns these hate crimes and will not stand for any acts
that promote intolerance. This type of behavior can be credited to the
lack of accountability of the Armenian Genocide and its ongoing denial
by Turkey. It also serves as a reminder of why fighting for justice
for the Armenian Genocide remains at the forefront of our priorities,”
said the Armenian National Committee of American – Western Region in a
statement.
“The Armenian Assembly of America calls for universal condemnation of
the provocative hate crimes committed at two Armenian schools in Los
Angeles, California—Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School in Encino and
the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park—wherein
individuals trespassed on private property and hung Turkish flags. We
urge a swift investigation and that the perpetrators are prosecuted
and punished. We appreciate the Members of Congress that have stood in
solidarity with the Armenian American community and would also like to
thank the Command Staff of the Los Angeles Police Department, as well
as Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz (5th District) and the
Councilmember’s Director of Public Safety Gregory Martayan for their
response and efforts,” said the Armenian Assembly of American in a
statement.
“The Assyrian American Association of Southern California (AAASC)
stands united with the Armenian community after Turkish flags were
found hanging on the campuses of two Armenian Schools in the San
Fernando Valley on January 29, 2019. We condemn this disgusting act of
bigotry and hate that was perpetrated to incite fear in these students
and in the community at large,” said the Assyrian American Association
of Southern California in a statement. “To both our communities, the
Turkish flag represents more than just a flag. It is a symbol of
oppression and genocide; a symbol of millions murdered, the children
that were torn away from their families, the years of persecution our
ancestors endured; and a symbol of outright, systematic denial of a
dark history that created wounds still open to this very day. When
hate crimes such as this are perpetrated anywhere, it is our duty to
stand together, raise our voices and fight against injustice and
prejudice. To the students of Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian High
School and AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School, and the entire Armenian
community, we will continue to stand with you against such acts and in
the ongoing fight for justice.”
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3 - Member of the National Assembly of Turkey
Garo Paylan Visits Haigazian University
BEIRUT—On Saturday, January 26, member of the National Assembly of
Turkey – for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), MP Garo Paylan
visited Haigazian University, where he addressed the university and
community.
Paylan had been invited to Beirut by the “Nor Serount” Cultural
Association for the “premiere” in Lebanon of the documentary “RED”
(Refusal in Turkish) by the Turkish film producer and director Kadir
Akin.
After a campus tour with the University President, Rev. Dr. Paul
Haidostian, and a meeting with the representatives of the
Lebanese-Armenian written press held in the University’s boardroom,
Paylan proceeded to the hall of the First Armenian Evangelical Church
(adjacent to the university), where hundreds of people were fervently
waiting for him to deliver his lecture on “The Current Situation in
Turkey and the Armenian Community”.
In his word of greetings, Director of the Armenian Diaspora Research
Center at Haigazian University, Dr. Antranig Dakessian noted that
among the very minor number of Armenians who are professionally
involved in politics “Mr. Garo Paylan is an outstanding personality.
His statements and acts have already introduced him to the world
community at least ever since he was elected an MP from the HDP from
the Istanbul constituency to the Turkish parliament in 2015.”
Paylan focused on the current political conditions in Turkey and
expressed his serious concern on the violations of human and minority
rights, as well as freedom of _expression_, and the suppression of
democratic rights giving the example of the 5000 political activists
still detained in the Turkish prisons. Paylan briefed on the past
Turkish-Armenian relations from the times of Sultan Abdul Hamid, the
Committee of Union and Progress up to the Armenian Genocide and
analyzed that the geopolitics of the Ottoman Empire was a basic reason
why the European powers of the time rivalled in having the Empire on
their side at the expense of the minority and human rights in the
country. Paylan noted that Turkish President Tayip Erdogan is making
excellent use of this opportunity and expressed concern that Turkish
democracy, minorities, freedoms, justice, human rights are seriously
menaced by the policies adopted by President Erdogan. Paylan concluded
his speech with an interactive and informative question and answer
session.
Haidostian concluded the evening by stating that “Paylan symbolizes
more than the weight of the past hundred years of history, geography,
martyrdom, survival and justice,” and that “he has become the voice of
the conscience and many Armenians find in him the voice of their
silenced cause.” Haidostian noted that Paylan had been an educator and
that his current ‘classroom’ is far from being a usual one, while his
textbook goes much deeper than textbooks.
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4 - Dutch church ends 96-day service as Armenian family spared
deportation
After 96 consecutive days, a Dutch church has ended a round-the-clock
liturgy it held to protect an Armenian family from deportation after
receiving confirmation that the government would not deport them.
The Tamrazyans, a family of five whose asylum claim had previously
been denied, were spared deportation after the four government
coalition parties on Tuesday agreed to review several hundred asylum
cases involving children who’d spent most of their lives in the
Netherlands or were born there. More than 600 children facing
deportation will likely now be allowed to remain, Dutch media
reported.
The Tamrazyan family—which includes two daughters, Haryarpi, 21,
Warduhi, 19, and a son, Seyran, 15—has been residing in the
Netherlands for nine years.
Their father fled Armenia for political reasons and brought his family
with him. Their asylum case dragged on for six years, during which
Dutch courts twice ruled in their favor, but the government won its
third attempt to get an order for their deportation.
Until this week, they’ve not left the grounds of Bethel Chapel. The
Protestant church in The Hague agreed to organize a 24/7 service to
protect them, citing an obscure Dutch law that forbids immigration
authorities from entering a church to make an arrest while a service
is underway.
A rotating cast of nearly 1,000 pastors from across Europe—and at
least one from the United States—volunteered to take shifts since it
began Oct. 26. Their effort gained international media attention,
pressuring the Dutch government to negotiate a so-called “children’s
pardon.”
The three-month church service ended in a small ceremony Wednesday,
January 30. At a news conference afterward, Haryarpi Tamrazyan thanked
the volunteers and said the deal would “allow me to continue with my
life.”
Though deportation is no longer imminent, the family has not
officially been granted permission to stay in the Netherlands.
“[Governing parties] have reached an agreement, and that agreement
says, ‘We are going to re-evaluate the dossiers,’” she told the media.
“Therefore, we don’t know officially that we may stay because that
dossier still has to be judged.”
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5- In Berlin, PM Pashinyan, Chancellor Merkel Discuss EU
Relations, Karabakh
BERLIN—Prime Minister’s Nikol Pashinyan and German Chancellor Angela
Merkel on Friday, February 1 discussed a wide range of issues, among
them advancing Armenia’s relations with the European Union and a
peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Hosting Pashinyan at the German Chancellery, Merkel praised Pashinyan
for taking “brave steps” toward the resolution of the Karabakh
conflict and urged Azerbaijan to follow suit.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Pashinyan, Merkel said she
was confident that the Armenian leader would continue his efforts, but
urged for a final resolution to the conflict.
“As you may know, I made an announcement in parliament months ago
which I consider very important. I have said that any option for the
resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be acceptable for
the people of Armenia, people of Karabakh and people of Azerbaijan,”
Pashinyan told Merkel.
“I had hoped that a similar announcement would come from the
Azerbaijani side, but no Azerbaijani official—even with in a muted
voice—has said that any resolution to Karabakh issue can be acceptable
for the people of Armenia and Karabakh,” added Pashinyan who explained
that Armenia does not have great hopes of moving forward on the
matter, without reciprocal announcements from official Baku.
While reiterating Armenia’s commitment to an exclusively peaceful
resolution to the conflict, Pashinyan also pointed out that he can
only negotiate on behalf of Armenia but not on behalf of the people of
Artsakh, explaining that they have their own government that can
negotiate on their behalf.
“I, as the Prime Minister of Armenia, can negotiate on behalf of the
Republic of Armenia, but I cannot negotiate on behalf of Karabakh for
the simple reason that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh do not
participate in our elections and have not voted for me. They have
their own president, parliament, government and only representatives
chosen by the people of Karabakh can speak on behalf of Karabakh,”
Pashinyan told Merkel.
Pashinyan also praised Germany-Armenia relations, pointing to Merkel’s
recent visit to Armenia and his current talks in Berlin as a sign of a
strong alliance where both sides view regional stability, peace and
security as a priority.
He also said that Armenia was positioned to advance reforms that could
facilitate further economic and political cooperation only with
Germany but also the European Union.
Merkel observed that the people of Armenia have placed their faith on
Pashinyan, which, she said, was critical in allowing Armenia to
advance the reforms that are necessary to ensure democratic norms in
Armenia.
“The ball is the Government of Armenia’s court,” said Pashinyan. “The
recent visit of [E.U.] Commissioner Johannes Hahn clearly points to
the increase of E.U. assistance to Armenia.” Pashinyan was referring
to a Hahn’s pledge last week of more funding to Armenia for advancing
democratic reforms.
“We already support Armenia,” said Merkel. “The EU has already
expressed its support through Commissioner Hahn. Armenia, as an
independent country, decides on its own with which country to work.
And we already have an agreement. I am talking about the agreement
with the EU, by which Armenia can develop relations with Germany and
the EU.”
Pashinyan added that Armenia has working relations with both the E.U.
and the Russia-backed Eurasian Economic Union.
“We must be able to effectively implement our reform agenda, with the
confidence that we will receive assistance both from our EU partners
and EAEU partners,” said Pashinyan.
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