Armenians Commemorate Centennial Of Genocide By Ottoman Turks
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Armenians in Chicago gathered at Daley Plaza on Friday to mark the 100th anniversary of what historians recognize as the first genocide of the 20th century: the killing of 1.5 Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, what is now modern day Turkey.
One of the politicians at the Daley Plaza rally took President Barack Obama to task for not calling the killing of Armenians in 1915 "genocide."
"It is incredibly disappointing to me, and I know to many of you, that our administration will not follow the footsteps of many world leaders - most recently Germany, Austria and the Vatican," U.S. Rep. Bob Dold (R-Illinois) said to applause. "They have stepped up and recognized the genocide for exactly what it was on its 100th anniversary."
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After he spoke at the rally, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) also said it's time the president said the words Armenians and genocide in the same sentence.
"I do. I know that presidents -- President Obama and others in the past -- have stopped short of using that word for a variety of reasons. The president's statement today acknowledges the killing of 1.5 million people, but that key word is important so that we can bring honesty to history."
The noontime rally also included a march to the Turkish consulate, off Columbus Drive, just north of the Chicago River.
