Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the consulate of Azerbaijan in mid-Wilshire to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of Armenian pogroms in Azerbaijan and to protest against war threats and the hate speech by the Azeri government. 

The rally, organized by a local youth group - the “Unified Young Armenians” was attended by other Los Angeles based organizations, elected officials and individual community members both Armenian and non-Armenian. The demonstrators chanted: “Azerbaijan, stop hate speech”, “Azerbaijan, hands off Armenia and Karabakh”, “Armenian-American community stands for Armenia” and other slogans. 

Addressing the protestors and hundreds of passersby, the speakers voiced their concern over the rising militaristic rhetoric of the official Baku and the frequent provocations by the Azeri army against Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.