Demonstrators Block LA Freeway to Bring Attention to Fighting Between Azerbaijan and Armenia
More protests took place in Hollywood over the weekend, with crowds halting traffic on the 101 Freeway on Saturday and the 170 Freeway on Sunday, and blocking intersections, all to raise awareness of what the local Armenian community calls attacks against their home country.
Hundreds began marching around 4 p.m. Saturday, waving flags and preventing drivers from getting through. From above, video shot by NewsChopper 4 Bravo, showed several intersections blocked by crowds along Sunset Avenue. Protesters said this was the only way to bring attention to the fierce fighting between Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan over a breakaway region which is controlled by ethnic Armenians but is inside Azerbaijani territory.
“They’re attacking innocent civilian villages. They’re attacking innocent people’s homes,” said protestor, Eva Arakelyan. The clash reignited Sunday and is possibly the most violent since the two countries’ 1994 ceasefire.
The Los Angeles metropolitan area has the largest population of Armenians in the world outside of Armenia. Members of the local Armenian community protesting Saturday night met with some very tense moments.
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/protesters-stop-traffic-on-101-freeway-to-bring-attention-to-fighting-between-azerbaijan-and-armenia/2438482/
