Hürriyet, Turkey
May 12 2006
Mehmet Y. Yilmaz: I’m heading for Paris with my poster if the
genocide bill becomes law
If the “Armenian Genocide” bill in France becomes law, it will mean
that the French are discounting the very values which they have
defended since their revolution. France will be shelving freedom of
expression and the right to argue over information, even if this
shelving is limited only to one subject.
You know, there is an international organization found in the middle
of Paris which we all recognize: UNESCO. Why doesn’t our Ministry of
Foreign Affairs say “Friends, there is no more academic freedom in
France, let’s move the UNESCO headquarters to a place where academic
freedom actually exists”? There are some things that we can do
ourselves if this bill becomes law:
For example, I will go to Paris if the bill is voted in as law, and
will hold a poster proclaiming “There was no Armenian genocide!” in
front of the central police station in Paris. They will catch me, try
me, and expel me from the country. Then I can go to the European
Court of Human Rights with my carefully plotted out case against
France, and, winning a large sum of money in recompensation for
everything I experienced, I will have taken a large step towards
making my retirement dreams come true.
What I’m trying to say is that, if we all think hard, I think we can
come up with more effective ways of protesting this Armenian genocide
law than through the simple boycotting of French goods. Because let’s
not also forget that many of things which we assume are purely French
products are in fact “made in Turkey.” And the number of Turkish
people involved in the production of these products is over 30
thousand.
So, let’s leave off our laziness, and find creative ways of
protesting!
