Pro-Armenian protest blocks part of 101 Freeway near Glendale Avenue

Pro-Armenian protesters used dozens of cars to block most of the 101 Freeway near Glendale Avenue Tuesday night. 

The protesters only allowed one lane of cars to pass through the major thoroughfare as they waved Armenian flags and posted a sign asking for President Joe Biden not to ignore them. 

The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert for the freeway as traffic backed up for miles. Last month, pro-Armenian protesters blocked all lanes of SR-134 in Glendale with a big rig. In that incident, officers ordered the demonstrators to disperse but the protesters continued to block the freeway for hours. 

This time, officers seemed to be more aggressive, claiming they were sending tow trucks to move the protesters from the highway. 

The demonstration comes after Azerbaijan launched a military operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which killed at least two civilians and wounded 11 more, according to ethnic Armenian officials. 

Armenia controlled the region for almost two decades following the end of a separatist war in 1994. In 2020, Azerbaijan regained the territories and parts of Nagorno Karabakh following a six-week war. The fighting ceased after Russia, an ally of Armenia, helped broker a peace deal between the two sides. 

The protesters began to leave a little before 11:20 p.m.