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COUNCILMEN APPLAUD CALLING OFF OTTOMAN BAND PARADE MARCH
By Richie Duchon
City News Service
September 28, 2011 Wednesday 7:28 PM PST
City Council members Paul Krekorian and Eric Garcetti applauded the
decision by a Turkish group to call off a scheduled parade in Hollywood
near Little Armenia featuring an Ottoman military marching band.
The march scheduled for Oct. 3 offended many in the Armenian community
which recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of Armenian independence
Sept. 21.
"The parade's planning and execution, in a heavily Armenian-populated
community, leaves no question that the Ottoman Military Marching Band
is brazenly taunting the Armenian American community in a blatant
example of hate speech," the Armenian National Committee of America
said in a statement.
Ottoman Turks perpetrated the Armenian Genocide, in which an estimated
1.5 million Armenians were killed beginning in 1915. Turkey officially
denies that a genocide took place.
The Pacifica Institute, a Turkish-American cultural advocacy
organization applied for a permit to hold a parade in Hollywood
Monday evening centered around the military marching band Mehter. A
representative from the group requested the police department cancel
its permit this morning.
Spokeswoman Hafsa Rai said the group never intended to offend the
Armenian community. "We never wanted to offend anyone. The reaction
by the Armenian community was really a surprise to us," Rai said.
She said the group cancelled the parade because the band is unlikely to
make it to Los Angeles from Turkey because of logistical difficulties,
including trouble with their contract, insurance and challenges
booking plane tickets.
Rai said the parade was simply to promote the third annual Anatolian
Cultures Festival in Costa Mesa Oct. 6-9. She said the festival
recognizes Armenian heritage, including a scale model of the Akhtamar
Church, an early Armenian church. She said the festival is intended
to celebrate all ethnicities that have lived in the land that is
now Turkey.
Krekorian, the first Armenian to serve on the Los Angeles City
Council, and Garcetti called the parade blatant provocation. "This
planned performance, supposedly to celebrate an event taking place in
Orange County, is a provocation of the Armenian community at a time
when the community celebrates 20 years of Armenian independence,"
the councilmen said in a joint statement.
"While we as council members, support and defend freedom of speech as
guaranteed by the First Amendment, we could not stand idly by as this
planned march was designed to incite and inflame the Armenian community
at a time when it is celebrating a historical milestone," they said.
Rai said the Ottoman marching band was chosen for the parade because
Turks created the first marching band in history. "The military aspect
was not something we were focusing on," she said.
By Richie Duchon
City News Service
September 28, 2011 Wednesday 7:28 PM PST
City Council members Paul Krekorian and Eric Garcetti applauded the
decision by a Turkish group to call off a scheduled parade in Hollywood
near Little Armenia featuring an Ottoman military marching band.
The march scheduled for Oct. 3 offended many in the Armenian community
which recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of Armenian independence
Sept. 21.
"The parade's planning and execution, in a heavily Armenian-populated
community, leaves no question that the Ottoman Military Marching Band
is brazenly taunting the Armenian American community in a blatant
example of hate speech," the Armenian National Committee of America
said in a statement.
Ottoman Turks perpetrated the Armenian Genocide, in which an estimated
1.5 million Armenians were killed beginning in 1915. Turkey officially
denies that a genocide took place.
The Pacifica Institute, a Turkish-American cultural advocacy
organization applied for a permit to hold a parade in Hollywood
Monday evening centered around the military marching band Mehter. A
representative from the group requested the police department cancel
its permit this morning.
Spokeswoman Hafsa Rai said the group never intended to offend the
Armenian community. "We never wanted to offend anyone. The reaction
by the Armenian community was really a surprise to us," Rai said.
She said the group cancelled the parade because the band is unlikely to
make it to Los Angeles from Turkey because of logistical difficulties,
including trouble with their contract, insurance and challenges
booking plane tickets.
Rai said the parade was simply to promote the third annual Anatolian
Cultures Festival in Costa Mesa Oct. 6-9. She said the festival
recognizes Armenian heritage, including a scale model of the Akhtamar
Church, an early Armenian church. She said the festival is intended
to celebrate all ethnicities that have lived in the land that is
now Turkey.
Krekorian, the first Armenian to serve on the Los Angeles City
Council, and Garcetti called the parade blatant provocation. "This
planned performance, supposedly to celebrate an event taking place in
Orange County, is a provocation of the Armenian community at a time
when the community celebrates 20 years of Armenian independence,"
the councilmen said in a joint statement.
"While we as council members, support and defend freedom of speech as
guaranteed by the First Amendment, we could not stand idly by as this
planned march was designed to incite and inflame the Armenian community
at a time when it is celebrating a historical milestone," they said.
Rai said the Ottoman marching band was chosen for the parade because
Turks created the first marching band in history. "The military aspect
was not something we were focusing on," she said.