BEIRUT — Tens of thousands of Lebanese of Armenian origins marched in the suburbs of Beirut Friday, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide and vowing never to forget the atrocities committed against their ancestors by the Ottoman Empire. Carrying Armenian flags and pictures of the violet forget-me-not flower, the symbol of the centennial, marchers of all ages trekked south from the Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Antelias to national football stadium in Burj Hammoud.

Ahead of the protest, Prime Minister Tammam Salam telephoned the head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, Aram I, to express sympathy with Armenians.

Salam appreciated the role that Armenian confessions have played in Lebanon to consolidate the country’s unity.