18:36 . 06/06
Marseille’s Armenians are ready to vote for candidate of French MP, representative of the Union for a Popular Movement, Valérie Boyer.
During her meeting with the Armenian community within the frames of election campaign the author of the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide has said that she intends to continue her activity directed to the adoption of the bill.
“I promise you not to weaken the fight. We’ll ask to submit such a bill to the parliament once more,” she has said.
The film “The son of an Olive Seller” was shown during the meeting telling how the fact of genocide is perceived in Turkey.
To recall, on January 23 the French Senate voted for the bill criminalizing genocides including the Armenian genocide. In total, 213 senators participated in the voting, 127 of them voted for and 86 voted against. The bill foresees 1 year’s imprisonment and a penalty of 45 000 Euro for denying the genocides.
On February 28, France’s Constitutional Council deemed the bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide unconstitutional. It is justified by the fact that the law contradicts Article 33 of the French Constitution and freedom of expression.
France’s present president Francois Hollande has also promised to contribute to the bill’s adoption.
