Montebello–Hundreds are gathering, and continue to gather, at the Montbello Genocide Memorial Monday morning for a second consecutive day to defend the monument from Serzh Sarkisian, who is in Los Angeles amid a tour of major Armenian communities in the Diaspora.

The President, who was initially reported to be visiting the monument Sunday mourning, cancled his visit, rescheuling it instead for Monday.

More than 200 people answered an immediate call to action Sunday morning to rally at the Montebello Memorial,forming a human barricade around it to prevent Sarkisian from using the monument for a publicity stunt while in Los Angeles on his tour of the Diaspra.

The people at Montebello set up human chains to defend the monument from a president who has dismissed nearly 7 million Armenians’ concerns over the dangerous road his policies are leading the Armenian nation down.

Armenian communities around the world are outrages with Sarkisian, who is set to sign a deal with Turkey next week that will deal a decisive blow to the Armenian Cause and has been justifying his conciliatory policy with Turkey throughout his tour.

Today’s gathering comes immediately after more than 12,000 Armenian Americans from throughout California converged on the Beverly Hilton Hotel yesterday to protest the Turkey-Armenia protocols as Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian met with representatives of Armenian American organizations to defend his decision to sign the flawed documents.

Blockades and guardrails contained protesters who held signs proclaiming, “Serzh Don’t Betray the Armenian People,” “Turkey Accept the Genocide!” and “No to the Protocols!” Meanwhile, planes overhead were carrying banners which stated “Stop Turkish-Armenian Protocols,” as large moving vans drove around the hotel with billboards picturing presidents Sarkisian and Gul with the slogan “Don’t Betray us.”

Sarkisian’s visit comes days after police violently clashed with Armenian demonstrators in Paris, who were defending their monument from the President. Sarkisian was met with similar opposition in New York Saturday with over a thousand Armenias protesting his visit to the East Coast Armenian community.

Sarkisian left Los Angeles this evening for Beirut and then Russia.