TURKISH BOY EXPELLED FROM SCHOOL IN FRANCE FOR DENYING FACT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
NOYAN TAPAN
NOVEMBER 17, 2009
NANCE
NANCE, NOVEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. 13-year-old Mustafa
Dogan, a student of the French college in the city of Nance, France,
was expelled from school for denying the fact of Armenian Genocide
in his composition. The school gave two days to Mustafa to collect
information about the Armenian Genocide, to speak with people having
experienced the Genocide, to apply to sources being alternative to
the Turkish ones in Internet and to correct his views.
According to Marmara, the History teacher of the French college had
assigned the students to write a composition about the Armenian
Genocide and the events of 1915. The Turkish student, who had
debated with his teacher before, this time got angry and wrote in
his composition: "Even if a genocide was committed, the Armenians
deserved it."
Zaman newspaper’s Paris correspondent wrote that the law envisaging a
criminal punishment for denial of the Armenian Genocide has not been
yet ratified in France but it is already being used now.
This incident is rather typical. The school teacher earlier being
concerned with Mustafa’s assertions invited his father to school and
explained to him that according to the French laws, the boy commits
a crime by denying the Armenian Genocide. Boy’s father, Mehmed Dogan
answered that he is not aware of such a law’s existence. The teacher
said that it is clear who encourages the boy.
Later Mehmed Dogan said that the teacher showed a racial approach and
made the 13-year-old boy angry. He added that he does not believe,
either that a genocide had been committed but he is sorry that his
son wrote that the Armenians deserved the Genocide.
A Turkish organization functioning in France is going to send its
representative for a meeting with the school’s headmaster this Friday.
It was mentioned that in his talk to Zaman’s correspondent the
headmaster supported the History teacher and considered the punishment
fair.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
