LYONS MAYOR FAILED TO FULFILL PROMISE

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.03.2006 01:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ March 18, when a wave of rallies shocked France
several thousands of Turks protested in Lyons against the erection of
the monument to the Armenian Genocide victims. They came across French
ralliers at the municipality. Turks attacked the French and the police
dispersed the crowd with tear-gas bombs. French and Turkish press
covered the incident widely. Hurriyet Turkish newspaper wrote that
“Armenians came to the rally to trouble Turks and three Armenians were
wounded” what later turned out as a lie. According to chairperson of
the Armenian Federation of Europe Hilda Tchoboian, the Mayor of Lyons
promised to prevent the action against the monument erection. “However
March 17 he announced that the rally was authorized despite the demands
of all the political circles of Lyons to prohibit it,” she said.

Hilda Tchoboian considers that the Mayor took the decision under
the pressure of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which said that Turks
promised to refrain from anti-Armenian posters and slogans. However
they did not keep their promise. They shouted out offences swaying
anti-Armenian posters. “The Armenian youth explained the essence of
the case to the French, who started shouting to Turks “France is not
your place”.

March 19 Armenians gathered at the editorial office of Progress
newspaper that published some anti-Armenian articles. The editor said
the newspaper will not publish articles of the kind any more, Hilda
Tchoboian said. She added that March 20 a press conference dedicated
to the recent events will be held March 20 and underscored that all
genocide denying rallies will be barred. “The Armenian community of
France will not keep silent, moreover this country and its people
have announced their position on the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman
Empire in 1915,” she said.