The Armenian Genocide Memorial and the National Armenian Memorial Centre in Décines, France, were desecrated on Sunday, with slogans in favor of Turkey and insults, the Committee for Defense of the Armenian Cause (CDCA) announced today.
Vandals daubed the monument and the building, which are only a few meters apart, with the initials “RTE,” acronym with the initials of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “Gray Wolves” and insults.
The CDCA and the House of Armenian Culture in Décines and surrounding areas have filed a lawsuit with the Lyon prosecutor’s office for “desecration of monuments dedicated to the memory of the dead,” said their lawyer, Nairi Zandourian. “It’s horrible what is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh and this war is spreading to France, we have to put an end to it,” she added.
The CDCA said in a statement that the desecration “is part of a series of events aimed at terrorizing and intimidating French citizens of Armenian descent.”
The Mayor of Decines-Charpieu, Laurence Fautra, announced that soldiers were expected in the area to take over the security of the buildings. “We hope (that a statement will be issued) by the Turkish consul in Lyon and that he will send a message of peace,” she added.
Source: ANA-MPA
C'est avec une profonde colère que nous avons découvert des tagues sur le Centre nationale de la mémoire Arménienne/mémorial du Génocide. M. le ministre @GDarmanin il faut protéger svp les français d'origine arménienne+dissoudre le groupe ultra-nationaliste les Loups gris #france pic.twitter.com/dUGFr30A1Q
— LaurenceFautra (@FautraLaurence) November 1, 2020