Pictures of Paris Protocol Demonstrations‏

Sent: 10/3/2009 1:28:35 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: ARF's Western European Branch Demands Sargsyan's Resignation

French Police Disperse Armenians Protesting President Sargsyan and Protocols

[ 2009/10/03 | 11:52 ] important diaspora

Here are some photos taken at the site of yesterday’s demonstration on Paris to protest the scheduled visit of RoA President Serzh Sargsyan and in opposition of the Armenian-Turk ish protocols. President Sargsyan is presently on a public relations tour of various diasporan communities to sell the protocols to Armenians, many of whom are descendants of Genocide survivors.

Several hundred protestors showed up at the Place du Canada, next to the site of the Komitas statue in “Yerevan Park”. President Sargsyan was scheduled to lay a wreath at the statue at 3:00pm.

The protestors, a mix of diaspora Armenians and those from the RoA, carries a variety of banners and signs reading “No to Protocols”, To Forget Equals Betrayal”, “The Protocols Mock the Memory of the Genocide”, “Protocols to the Trash Bin”, and others critical of the document.

The leaflet showing the photos of Komitas Vardapet and President Sargsyan reads – “Before reconciling with the Turks, have you reconciled with Armenians?”

Mourat Papazian, Co-President of the ARF”s Western European Branch, stated, “He must be made aware of the fact that there is an opposition here. We have organized a big march and will be demanding his resignation.” (The ARF in Armenia has yet to call for the resignation of President Sargsyan)

At 3:00 pm, as planned, the demonstrators sat down and awaited the arrival of President Sargsyan. As they began to chant “No, No”, French police entered the crowd and attempted to disperse the protestors.

Some of the protestors resisted and the police then began to drag people away. Scuffles and fisticuffs broke out here and there. Even the elderly and woman were physically removed. After about an hour, the police had succeeded in dispersing most of the crowd.

Mourat Papazian noted, “We came here to say ‘no’ to the protocols and met with police resistance. Serzh Sargsyan still hasn’t arrived. Instead of coming here in an attempt to dialogue with us he permitted the police to take this nefarious action. This is really shameful for a president of the republic.”

It was only at 4:00pm that President Sargsyan arrived on the scene. He briefly stood in front of the statue, laid the wreath and left in a phalanx of police. There was no contact with the demonstrators.

After leaving, the police surrounded the statue of Komitas, symbolizing the 1915 Genocide and its victims. This time the police were there to see that no one remove the wreath placed by the president.

http://hetq.am/en/diaspora/pariz-2/#more-16856
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