SYSTEM OF A DOWN DESCENDS ON D.C. FOR ARMENIAN CAUSE

(VIDEO) System Of A Down is set to descend on Washington, D.C. to urge the Speaker Of The House to acknowledge the existence of the Amenian Genocide. Serj Tankian spoke about the experience, here!

System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan and vocalist Serj Tankian will both head down to Washington, DC on April 24 to get politicians to recognize the Armenian Genocide. The band will embark on a three-day campaign to demonstrate with various Armenian groups to get politicians to stop catering to Turkish lobbyists and recognize the events of World War 1 as a genocide.

The band has long put on their Souls concerts to raise awareness, and in lieu of that this year, they’ll head to Washington. Tankian explains that he was drawn into the cause by hearing what his own grandfather went through.

“A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to get this organization called the genocide project to come in and interview my grandfather and get his memories down and talk about his life and his suffering through the genocide and surviving through it, and it was… I’ve got six hours of him talking on my own video camera, and it was… I don’t have an adjective for it. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was incredible. I heard stories I had never heard in my life, even growing up knowing about the genocide.”

The band has a full schedule for the three days. On April 24, the day that’s officially recognized as the start of the genocide, the band will demonstrate outside the gates of the Turkish embassy. The following day the band will provide interviews and then host a congresional screening of Screamers, documenting the band’s worldwide campaing for Armenian Genocide recognition. The band will close out April 26, meeting members of congress to urge them to allow a vote on legislation recognizing the genocide and attending the annual Capitol Hill commemoration of the genocide.