TURKEY ACCUSES FRANCE OF GENOCIDE IN COLONIAL ALGERIA
BBC
23 December 2011
Mr Erdogan said there were “massacres” in Algeria where Algerians were
“burned en masse in ovens” Continue reading the main story The Turkish
prime minister has accused France of committing genocide during its
colonial occupation of Algeria.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was speaking after French MPs passed a bill making
it a criminal act to deny that Ottoman Turks committed genocide in
1915-16 Armenia.
He accused President Nicolas Sarkozy of using the bill to fan hatred
of Muslims and Turks for electoral gain.
He said Mr Sarkozy should “ask his father, who served in the French
Legion there” about the Algerian “massacre”.
Year in jail
Ankara has already recalled its ambassador to France and frozen
political visits and joint military projects over the bill.
And Mr Erdogan has warned he will take further unspecified steps.
“In Algeria from 1945, an estimated 15% of the population was massacred
by the French. This is a genocide,” he said. “The Algerians were
burned en masse in ovens. They were martyred mercilessly.”
He added: “The vote in the French parliament has shown how dangerous
racism, discrimination and Islamophobia have become in France and
Europe.”
If passed into law, Thursday’s bill would mean anybody who publicly
denied the Armenian “genocide” would face a year in jail and a fine
of 45,000 euros (£29,000; $58,000).
Mr Sarkozy has hinted the bill has his approval, though his
Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe, has described it as useless and
counter-productive.
There are some 500,000 voters of Armenian descent in France and they
are seen as a key source of support for Mr Sarkozy.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million people were killed by the Ottoman
Turks in 1915-16.
Ankara says closer to 300,000 people died, and that Turks were also
killed as Armenians rose up against the Ottoman Empire when Russian
troops invaded eastern Anatolia, now eastern Turkey.
More than 20 countries have formally recognised the killings as
genocide.
France invaded Algeria in 1830 and it remained under French rule
until independence in 1962.
The number of people killed in the eight-year independence war from
1954-1962 varies widely according to different sources, ranging from
300,000 to more than one million.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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