Armenia's myth of the so-called "Armenian genocide" is being dispelled in France, which is home to a strong Armenian lobby.
A memorial for the alleged genocide, unveiled in 2005 in the French city of Villeurbanne was desecrated on July 3, the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) reported.
"Some letters of an inscription on the memorial, which read "Recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915," are now missing," the CCAF's statement reads.
Armenians have worked hard for a long time to get recognition for the alleged genocide. They are going to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the myth in 2015.
Armenia commemorates the alleged genocide on April 24 each year. Armenia and the Armenian lobbies claim that Turkey's government predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, committed genocide against Armenians in 1915, an allegation dismissed by Ankara. Turkey supports the creation of a joint historical commission to investigate the events of 1915, but Armenia is unwilling to disclose its archives as it fears revealing what the archives may hold.
CCAF noted, this incident proved the need to adopt a new law criminalizing the denial of "Armenian genocide", as pledged by the former and current authorities of France.
France became one of the first countries which recognized the so-called "Armenian genocide" under influence of the Armenian lobby. The French Senate passed a bill in 2011 that criminalized denial of acknowledged genocides including both the Holocaust and "Armenian genocide". The bill was first passed by the parliament in 2012, but was considered unconstitutional on 28 February 2012.
The Armenian lobby is losing its strong position in France. The CCAF says the Armenian community of France is facing continuing direct aggression. This is the second time in the last two months that the memorials dedicated to Armenia's myth come under attack. Earlier, a memorial in Marseille which is dedicated to a French-Armenian activist Missak Manouchian and his resistant group was profaned and tagged with swastika.
Myths will falter sooner or later. Unlike some French MPs who are under influence of the Armenian lobby, the local community in France is fed up with baseless propaganda on the mythical genocide. The growing aggression against the Armenian community in France can be considered as a strong blow to the Armenian lobby's propagandistic activities.