France passes genocide law, faces Turkish reprisals
The French Senate has passed a new law making it criminal to deny mass killing of Armenians in World War 1 was genocide.
The Senate of France passed the landmark law on Monday. The move raises the prospect of a diplomatic rift between France and Turkey, a major NATO ally. Around 200 Franco-Turks protested outside the senate as the vote took place.
The Turkish Ambassador to France, Tahsin Burcuoglu, said the law will never be accepted in Turkey, and diplomatic ties will be severely affected.
In Istanbul, Turks are saying the law is against freedom of thought whilst in Armenia, the new law was celebrated.
Armenia says up to 1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed during the First World War, in what is now eastern Turkey. For Armenians, the message of such a law should not be lost on Turkey.
The law was passed with 127 votes for, and 86 against. It will be sent to President Nicholas Sarkozy for approval.
