BOSTON – Silence marked a day of protest on Saturday, October 24, in the heart of Boston as a solid core of 250 dedicated Armenian-Americans from surrounding communities gave up another personal weekend to continue to keep up the pressure on the American administration and world powers to condemn the ruthless attacks of Azerbaijan with Turkey’s support on the Republic of Artsakh that started on September 27 and has grown into a full blown war.
Armenian-Americans rally and protest Azerbaijani and Turkish attacks and aggression on the Republic of Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, in a silent action at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Marketplace in Boston. Tourists and locals out for a last warm day of the Autumn despite the Covid-19 Pandemic eventually interacted with the demonstrators after reading the informative signs about the crisis that started with the September 27, attack on the Republic of Artsakh by Azeri forces who want to take back the land by military action.
In the cacophony of sounds that dominate the touristy area, once the meeting place of the Friends of Armenia in the late 1800s when Armenians began their struggles for autonomy and independence from the Turkish Ottoman Empire, by street musicians and performers, silence would seem the last thing that might capture visitors attentions. As the time went by though, that’s just what happened as tourists and locals, out either defying or practicing pandemic advice or expressing pandemic fatigue, began communicating with the protestors who held signs describing the crisis. Many had finally heard and seen news stories about the issue and wanted to know more.
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The silent approach was a success and the entire tourist zone took on a more somber note as the protesters, now one family, slowly marched by diners and visitors, the only sounds the shuffle of feet on the ancient cobblestones and the flutter of the flags of the US, Armenia, and Artsakh.
All photos accompanying this article are courtesy of Ken Martin.
Main caption: Quincy Marketplace protest (photo Ken Martin)
