BEVERLY HILLS—Flyers containing Anti-Armenian rhetoric were found taped to street poles located near the intersection of La Cienega Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard on Saturday, January 30.
A resident contacted the Beverly Hills Police Department after discovering one of the flyers around 8:45 a.m. Once officers arrived on the scene, they collected a total of 10 fliers containing the same message. One flier read, “Azerbaijan; Turkey; Pakistan; Israel = 4 BROTHERS WILL WIPE Armenia OFF the MAP Inshallah!!!” It was not immediately clear when the flyers were first distributed.
The BHPD stated the flyers will be investigated as a hate speech incident. Detectives are reviewing surveillance video captured around La Cienega and Wilshire Boulevards to help identify a suspect.
This incident comes after the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors voted to call on President Joe Biden and Congressman Adam Schiff to support efforts to end the Azerbaijan blockade. The blockade severely limited the amount of food, water, and other necessities that enter Nagorno-Karabakh, a region home to 120,000 Armenians. Armenian Americans held marches over the weekend to raise awareness about the blockade. The greater Los Angeles area is home to the largest concentration of Armenian Americans in the United States.
Beverly Hills Mayor Lille Bosse denounced the anti-Armenian flyers stating:
“I’ve said it over and over again, hate has no place in Beverly Hills or anywhere. I will always stand up, I will always speak out against it.” Similar flyers were found in Beverly Hills in November 2022 containing hate speech aimed at the Jewish community.
Anyone with details is asked to call the BHPD at 310-285-2125. Anonymous reports can be submitted by texting “TIP BHPDALERT” followed by the tip information to 888777.
