FRENCH MASONS TO TAKE PART IN ARMENIAN DEMONSTRATION ON APRIL 24
By H. Chaqrian

AZG Armenian Daily
18/04/2008

Genocide

According to information spread by "Turkish-NY" news agency, based in
USA, the Grandmaster of the Great East Mason lodge, France, declared
that the members of the lodge are to take part in the demonstration
of the Armenians on April 24 dedicated to the Armenian Genocide. The
news agency notes that the French Masons are once against supporting
the Armenians’ claims about the genocide.

Why "again"? The matter is that in February the Grandmaster had given
interview to the Turkish press and said the following, "Two years
ago we visited the Turkish lodge of freemasons, where with all our
courtesy we demanded our Turkish brothers to think seriously on the
matter of the Armenian genocide and not co conceal the responsibility
of the Turkish people. Although our words were strongly argued,
later on some of our Turkish brothers came to me and said, ‘Your’re
right, for no one speaks about the Genocide in this country’. Then
the relations between the two lodges normalized".

Turkish newspaper "Vatan" also addresses this issue in its April
14 publication. According top "Vatan" the Grandmaster said that
although France was late to recognize the Holocaust, he expects
his Turkish brothers to have similar approach to the issue of the
Armenian Genocide.

On April 24, Paris, the Great East lodge Grandmaster is to hold
a speech at the monument of Komitas and take part in the march
organized by the Armenian community of France. The march is to end
with a protest demonstration near the Turkish Consulate in Paris.

"Vatan" also informs that the well known leader of the "Union Against
Genocide", Ali Ertem, is invited to the genocide commemoration events,
which are to take place from April 23 to April 27.