AsiaNews.it, Italy
Oct 13 2006
Turkey protest: France’s Armenian genocide denial bill leads to calls
for boycott
Turkish government calls action `severe blow’ against relations built
over the centuries; Turkish press calls French MPs `stupid’.
Ankara (AsiaNews) – Reactions in the Turkish press to the French
parliamentary vote making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered
genocide are perhaps stronger than expected. The Turkish government,
despite the popular reaction, responded yesterday with more a
moderate tone, excluding official retaliation.
`Thought Genocide’ titled popular daily Hurryet in a clear reference
to the new law’s denial of free speech. The paper also gave wide
coverage to political reactions, starting with that of Bulent Arinc,
the speaker of the Turkish parliament, who said that it `is a
decision which will cause great embarrassment. It is a stance against
the Turkish people, and we cannot accept this.’
`106 stupid men’ titled another paper, Vatan, referring to the number
of French MPs who voted in favour of the bill. For Milliyet `the
Turkish press is mad at France, whilst Sabah lobbed a meaningful
`J’accuse’ saying that the `French parliament, acting as judge and
jury, took a decision that hurts all Turks’. Finally, Cumhuriyet
reiterated a call to `Boycott’ made by Dervis Gunday, chairman of the
Turkish Traders and Small Businessmen’s Confederation (TESK), French
products.
In the heat of the situation, Turkish Economy Minister Ali Babacan
also hinted at a possible anti-French boycott saying that `it depends
on the people’. But the Turkish government’s official position was
expressed yesterday by the foreign ministry in Ankara. In a press
release it said: `The long-standing historical relations between
Turkey and France, which have grown through the centuries with great
care, have received a severe blow today because of the irresponsible
attempts – based on groundless claims – of a group of French politicians
who are unable to appreciate the consequences of the policies they
follow.’
If the government is concerned about possible repercussions of the
French decision on Turkey’s application to join the European Union,
the nationalist response in the country to the French bill might also
cause problems to those Turkish intellectuals like Nobel Prize
laureate for literature Orhan Pamuk who have tried to push their
countrymen to face head on the Armenian extermination issue and were
taken to court for it.