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'GENOCIDE' BILL PASSES DESPITE LOW TURNOUT
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Dec 23 2011
French lawmakers in the lower house yesterday adopted a draft law
to ban the denial of Armenian genocide allegations despite fierce
warnings from Turkey of a diplomatic crisis and economic consequences.
There was no official vote count since lawmakers simply voted by
raising their hands. The measure now goes to the Senate, where its
fate is less clear. There were only 50 deputies out of 577 present
in Parliament's lower house during the vote.
Lawmakers denounced what they called Turkey's propaganda effort in a
bid to sway them. "Laws voted in this chamber cannot be dictated by
Ankara," said Jean-Christophe Lagarde, a deputy from the New Center
party, as Turks demonstrated outside the National Assembly ahead of
the vote.
The bill's author said she was "shocked" at the attempt to interfere
with Parliament's work. "My bill doesn't aim at any particular
country," said Valerie Boyer, a deputy from the ruling conservative
Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party. "It is inspired by European
law, which says that the people who deny the existence of the genocides
must be sanctioned."
She called on French businesspeople not to take "Turkey's threats"
into consideration. Boyer said their goal was not to deteriorate the
relations between the two countries but to protect French citizens,
daily Hurriyet reported yesterday.
"We're not trying to write history but to make an indispensable
political act," Patrick Devedjian, a UMP lawmaker of Armenian
descent, told Parliament. He noted that several Turkish writers had
been prosecuted for the reverse offence of "affirming the existence"
of the 1915 genocide and claimed that Turkey had recognized in 1919
that crimes had been committed, Agence France-Presse reported. "Now,
Turkey is falling into revisionism and denies its own history,"
he said to general support from his colleagues.
The law penalizes the denial of any massacre recognized as genocide by
the state, but so far this list only includes the Holocaust and the
Armenian genocide - and Holocaust denial is penalized under French
law. France in 2001 became the first large European state to follow
suit through a law stating that "France publicly recognizes the 1915
Armenian genocide," without stating that the Turks were responsible.
The resolution approved yesterday would penalize anyone who refuses
to label the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as genocide.
Boyer "blamed Turkey's diplomatic threats." She said, "Some countries
committed the crime of denying the incidents of 1915. Half of the
Armenian population of 1914 were deported or massacred. I expect
your support [to this resolution]," she said during her speech in
Parliament before voting the resolution.
A total of 17 deputies addressed Parliament before the vote. More
than one member of the UMP spoke against the law, which also has the
support of some opposition Socialists. "It's in no one's interests
to pour oil on the fire in this fragile, sensitive and strategic
region," said Michel Diefenbacher, head of Parliament's Franco-Turkish
Friendship Committee, Agence France-Presse reported. "What would we
say, we French, if some other country came and told us what it thinks
about the Vendee massacre?" he said, referring to mass killings in
the 1790s in western France in the wake of the French Revolution.
Diefenbacher said he would vote against the bill saying that
"Parliamentarian role is not to write history." Diefenbacher, member
of the ruling UMP party, said the resolution was against the French
constitution. He urged that if the resolution goes to constitutional
court following possible objections, then the law approved in 2001
recognizing the Armenian "genocide" might be in danger too. "This
resolution is not in favor of Armenians too," he said.
Francois Bayrou, the centrist Democratic Movement's candidate for
presidency, also spoke against the resolution. "There have been
massacres in Cambodia, Rwanda and Vendee. Are these going to come
[before us] too? I think you are entering into a dangerous road,"
said Bayrou, according to Hurriyet. French MP Patrick Ollier said the
bill did not target Turkey and praised the relations between Turkey
and France during his speech before the vote.
From: Baghdasarian
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Dec 23 2011
French lawmakers in the lower house yesterday adopted a draft law
to ban the denial of Armenian genocide allegations despite fierce
warnings from Turkey of a diplomatic crisis and economic consequences.
There was no official vote count since lawmakers simply voted by
raising their hands. The measure now goes to the Senate, where its
fate is less clear. There were only 50 deputies out of 577 present
in Parliament's lower house during the vote.
Lawmakers denounced what they called Turkey's propaganda effort in a
bid to sway them. "Laws voted in this chamber cannot be dictated by
Ankara," said Jean-Christophe Lagarde, a deputy from the New Center
party, as Turks demonstrated outside the National Assembly ahead of
the vote.
The bill's author said she was "shocked" at the attempt to interfere
with Parliament's work. "My bill doesn't aim at any particular
country," said Valerie Boyer, a deputy from the ruling conservative
Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party. "It is inspired by European
law, which says that the people who deny the existence of the genocides
must be sanctioned."
She called on French businesspeople not to take "Turkey's threats"
into consideration. Boyer said their goal was not to deteriorate the
relations between the two countries but to protect French citizens,
daily Hurriyet reported yesterday.
"We're not trying to write history but to make an indispensable
political act," Patrick Devedjian, a UMP lawmaker of Armenian
descent, told Parliament. He noted that several Turkish writers had
been prosecuted for the reverse offence of "affirming the existence"
of the 1915 genocide and claimed that Turkey had recognized in 1919
that crimes had been committed, Agence France-Presse reported. "Now,
Turkey is falling into revisionism and denies its own history,"
he said to general support from his colleagues.
The law penalizes the denial of any massacre recognized as genocide by
the state, but so far this list only includes the Holocaust and the
Armenian genocide - and Holocaust denial is penalized under French
law. France in 2001 became the first large European state to follow
suit through a law stating that "France publicly recognizes the 1915
Armenian genocide," without stating that the Turks were responsible.
The resolution approved yesterday would penalize anyone who refuses
to label the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as genocide.
Boyer "blamed Turkey's diplomatic threats." She said, "Some countries
committed the crime of denying the incidents of 1915. Half of the
Armenian population of 1914 were deported or massacred. I expect
your support [to this resolution]," she said during her speech in
Parliament before voting the resolution.
A total of 17 deputies addressed Parliament before the vote. More
than one member of the UMP spoke against the law, which also has the
support of some opposition Socialists. "It's in no one's interests
to pour oil on the fire in this fragile, sensitive and strategic
region," said Michel Diefenbacher, head of Parliament's Franco-Turkish
Friendship Committee, Agence France-Presse reported. "What would we
say, we French, if some other country came and told us what it thinks
about the Vendee massacre?" he said, referring to mass killings in
the 1790s in western France in the wake of the French Revolution.
Diefenbacher said he would vote against the bill saying that
"Parliamentarian role is not to write history." Diefenbacher, member
of the ruling UMP party, said the resolution was against the French
constitution. He urged that if the resolution goes to constitutional
court following possible objections, then the law approved in 2001
recognizing the Armenian "genocide" might be in danger too. "This
resolution is not in favor of Armenians too," he said.
Francois Bayrou, the centrist Democratic Movement's candidate for
presidency, also spoke against the resolution. "There have been
massacres in Cambodia, Rwanda and Vendee. Are these going to come
[before us] too? I think you are entering into a dangerous road,"
said Bayrou, according to Hurriyet. French MP Patrick Ollier said the
bill did not target Turkey and praised the relations between Turkey
and France during his speech before the vote.
From: Baghdasarian