Armenian Genocide memorial desecrated in France’s VilleurbanneJuly 9, 2014 - 16:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A memorial for the Armenian Genocide in the French city of Villeurbanne was desecrated on July 3. Some letters of an inscription on the memorial, which read “Recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915,” are now missing. The memorial had been unveiled in 2005 ahead of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide by Mayor Jean-Paul Bret, Asbarez reported. “The desecration of the Armenian Genocide memorial in Villeurbanne on the night of July 3 is a new outrage to the memory of the million and a half Armenians exterminated in 1915 under the command of the Young Turk government,” the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) said in a statement, Nouvelles d’Armenia reports. According to CCAF, this new attack, which came less than eight days after the vandalism of a Missak Manouchian statue in Marseille, is a new affront to human dignity, a blow to the fraternity between peoples and democratic values, and a direct aggression against the Armenian community of France. The statements emphasizes that this provocation months before the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide proves the need to adopt a law criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide, as pledged by the former and current authorities of France. The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |