Turks angry over French genocide bill
- 12 years ago
Turks at home and abroad are angry over a French parliament decision.
The upper house has approved a bill making it illegal to deny that Turkey's Ottoman government committed mass genocide of Armenians during World War One.
Turks protesting against the legislation in Istanbul carry signs reading "Armenian genocide is a lie of imperialist forces."
Backed by historians, Armenia says Ottoman Turks killed about 1.5 million Christian Armenians, but Turkey claims there were heavy losses on both sides during fighting.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called the move racist and discriminatory.
(SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRIME MINISTER, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, SAYING:
"The voting session was held despite poor attendance. It was another made-to-order voting. I would like to stress that whether it is passed in the French lower house of parliament or in the Senate, for us the Armenian genocide proposal is completely null and void."
Some Armenians, like this newspaper editor, say such decisions only increase nationalist sentiment and put their community at risk.
(SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF "AGOS" NEWSPAPER, ROBER KOPTAS, SAYING:
"Turks do not think that there was a genocide and this decision will not have any effect to change this stance. This will only provide ground to trigger ultra-nationalism and reactions in Turkey. And I do not think that Turkish state will change its attitude, change the school books."
Turkey's ambassador in Paris said the vote could rupture already tense relations between France and Turkey.
Lindsey Parietti, Reuters
The upper house has approved a bill making it illegal to deny that Turkey's Ottoman government committed mass genocide of Armenians during World War One.
Turks protesting against the legislation in Istanbul carry signs reading "Armenian genocide is a lie of imperialist forces."
Backed by historians, Armenia says Ottoman Turks killed about 1.5 million Christian Armenians, but Turkey claims there were heavy losses on both sides during fighting.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called the move racist and discriminatory.
(SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRIME MINISTER, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, SAYING:
"The voting session was held despite poor attendance. It was another made-to-order voting. I would like to stress that whether it is passed in the French lower house of parliament or in the Senate, for us the Armenian genocide proposal is completely null and void."
Some Armenians, like this newspaper editor, say such decisions only increase nationalist sentiment and put their community at risk.
(SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF "AGOS" NEWSPAPER, ROBER KOPTAS, SAYING:
"Turks do not think that there was a genocide and this decision will not have any effect to change this stance. This will only provide ground to trigger ultra-nationalism and reactions in Turkey. And I do not think that Turkish state will change its attitude, change the school books."
Turkey's ambassador in Paris said the vote could rupture already tense relations between France and Turkey.
Lindsey Parietti, Reuters