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.”
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Hate speech against Armenians has surged amid the ongoing hostilities in Karabakh, with Turks and Azerbaijanis declaring what they call “a hunt of Armenians” and threatening them. For example, a group of Turks in France attacked Armenians rallying to protest Azerbaijan’s aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, and injured two of the rally-goers with hammers on October 28.
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.