LOWELL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Dozens of local residents gathered at the Armenian Genocide Memorial on Saturday in remembrance of the roughly 2 million Armenians who were killed just over a century ago.
The event kicked off at around 10 a.m. near Lowell City Hall.
President Joe Biden became the first US president to officially recognize the Armenian mass slaughter at the hands of Ottoman Turks as a "genocide."
This is 106th anniversary of the massacre's start, and President Biden wrote in a statement, "Each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring."
"Today, as we mourn what was lost, let us also turn our eyes to the future -- toward the world that we wish to build for our children. A world unstained by the daily evils of bigotry and intolerance, where human rights are respected, and where all people are able to pursue their lives in dignity and security," Biden said. "Let us renew our shared resolve to prevent future atrocities from occurring anywhere in the world. And let us pursue healing and reconciliation for all the people of the world."
Nashua High School senior Arsen Melkumyan spoke at the event in Lowell, urging teenagers to continue to speak out about the incident and stand strong.
Melkumyan said that "denial by the genocide by Turkey only prevents peace, obstructs justice, threatens Armenia and its people, but most importantly, fuels the global cycle of genocide."
WBZ NewsRadio's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports:
Follow WBZ NewsRadio:Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|iHeartmedia App
Written by Edyn Jensen
(Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio)