, Turkey
Jan 22 2012
Turkish FM praises large Paris protest against Armenian bill
Despite rain and cold weather nearly 40 thousand Turks shunned the
bill that penalizes rejection of the Armenian allegations with a
prison term of one year and a fine of 45 thousand euros.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said thousands of Turks had
made their voices heard in a protest march in Paris on Saturday
against a French bill that makes it a crime to reject Armenian
allegations on the Ottoman era incidents of 1915.
“Tens of thousands of Turks made this historic event visible to entire
France by crowding a 4.5-kilometer long avenue. Turkish nation is
proud of its history and it will continue to be proud,” Davutoglu told
reporters in the central city of Kayseri.
Despite rain and cold weather nearly 40 thousand Turks shunned the
bill that penalizes rejection of the Armenian allegations with a
prison term of one year and a fine of 45 thousand euros.
The bill is set to come to the Senate floor this coming Monday but
French Senate members could vote to uphold a parliamentary committee
decision and drop the bill off the agenda without even debating it.
The protestors carried Turkish, Algerian, Azeri and French flags and
urged senators to act against the legislation.
“Leave dealing with history to historians,” a banner read as
protestors chanted slogans against French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
“I have been living in France for fifty years and I haven’t seen so
many Turks got together. Turks in Europe for the first time had the
chance to raise a strong voice against an injustice done to them,”
said Demir Onger, head of a Paris-based Turkish culture association.
Police took tight security measures at Place Denfert-Rochereau, the
venue of the demonstration.
A similar bill — proposed by the Socialist Party — was approved in
2006 by the lower house but the Senate rejected to debate the bill
last May when it upheld the committee’s decision back then.
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.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2012/01/22/ankara-turkish-fm-praises-large-paris-protest-against-armenian-bill/
