"Strong Armenia": One of the classic methods of demoralizing society is the devaluation of national memory and heroes

ArmInfo. One of the classic methods of demoralizing society is the devaluation of national memory and national heroes. This is how Arega Hovsepyan, a candidate for parliament from the "Strong Armenia" bloc, commented on reports that the Yerevan City Hall had begun erasing graffiti depicting Armenian national heroes from various parts of the capital.

Earlier, citizens began reporting that city hall employees had removed an image of Robert Abajyan, a Hero of Artsakh and recipient of the Golden Eagle Order, who died during the four-day April War in 2016, from the wall of an underground passage leading to Yerevan State University. There were also reports of graffiti depicting heroes being destroyed in other parts of Yerevan.

Hovsepyan stated that political science and social psychology have long known that popular resistance is based not only on the military or the economy, but also on collective memory.

"When government agencies eliminate or obscure the images of national heroes, it is perceived as a political message: to deprive society of role models, weaken national identity, and sever the bond between generations. A nation that forgets its heroes easily loses dignity, self-confidence, and the will to fight. That is why the memory of national heroes is not just a matter of history: it is a matter of national security, statehood, and the future.

The government of Nikol the Falsifier has been belittling our heroes and our victories since 2018. Because it is easy to convince a society that forgets its victories that we are weak, have always lost, and will always lose. It is easy to intimidate with war when you forget your victories," she wrote on her Facebook page.

Regarding the situation, the Yerevan City Hall stated that a decision had been made to remove all graffiti that was applied without the appropriate permission from the capital's municipality. However, in reality, walking around the city, it becomes obvious that only the images of war heroes are washed away, while graffiti and inscriptions painted with incomprehensible faces and incomprehensible content continue to disfigure the city.