Lyon Memorial to the Armenian Genocide
The Lyon Memorial to the Armenian Genocide ( French Memorial Lyonnais du genocide des Armeniens ) was erected in 2006 in the center of the French city of Lyon in memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire from 1915 onwards.
The memorial is located on Place Antonin-Poncet near Place Bellecour , Lyon's main street. It was designed by Leonardo Basmadyian and consists of 36 white concrete pieces complemented by stones from Armenia . Poems by Gostan Zarian are engraved on the concrete parts.
The cost was € 180,000, more than two thirds of which were donated by the Armenian community of Lyons. The rest was provided by the city of Lyon. Mayor Gérard Collomb actively supported the project.
The Center national de la mémoire arménienne has also existed in Décines-Charpieu in eastern Lyon since around 2013 . Prime Minister Manuel Valls called it a place of remembrance on the occasion of the 100th day of remembrance on April 24, 2015.
On the 100th day of remembrance , numerous people gathered at the memorial.
Controversy
Members of the French Turkish community and local Turkish organizations protested against the erection of the memorial. The Council of Turkish Cultural Associations in Rhône-Alpes turned to the French judiciary to overturn the erection of the memorial; the court did not. On March 18, 2006, over 3,000 Turks took part in a protest against the memorial.
The local branch of the opposition Union pour un mouvement populaire (UMP) also spoke out against the building of the memorial.
vandalism
On April 17, 2006, a week before its official inauguration, the memorial was vandalized. Graffiti denying the fact of genocide (“There was no genocide”) was sprayed on the memorial. The memorial was damaged again in August 2007 and March 2020.
inauguration
The memorial was officially inaugurated on April 24, 2006, the 91st anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian genocide.
In the course of strong security measures that day, over 200 officers from the anti-criminality brigade of the Direction centrale des renseignements généraux and 25 city police officers guarded or surrounded the area and closed it to traffic.
Up to 4,000 people, including the Armenian ambassador to France, marched past the memorial. French Transport Minister Dominique Perben and the UMP mayoral candidate for Lyon represented President Jacques Chirac at the opening ceremony.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Memorial Lyonnais du genocide des Armeniens. Armenian National Institute, accessed June 23, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c d Lyon inaugure son mémorial du génocide arménien (fr) . In: Le Figaro , April 24, 2006. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ↑ www.cnma.fr
- ↑ Speech text
- ↑ lyon.fr ( Memento of the original from March 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Turks in France to Protest Genocide Monument in Lyon . In: Asbarez , March 15, 2006. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ Protest March Against 'Genocide' Monument in Lyon . In: Journal of Turkish Weekly , March 7, 2006. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014 Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ A b Memorial to Armenian Genocide Victims Profaned in Lyon . April 18, 2006. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ A b La France commémore le génocide arménien (fr) . In: 20 minutes , April 24, 2006. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ Armenian Memorial Vandalized in France Prior to Unveiling . In: Asbarez , April 18, 2006. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ Armenian Genocide memorial in France vandalized ahead of anniversary . April 18, 2006. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ France: Profanation of the Armenian memorial of Lyon . In: Azg Daily , August 22, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ Lyon: Le Conseil arménien condamne la "profanation" du mémorial de Lyon par des anti-Macron . In: 20 minutes . March 15, 2020, accessed on March 17, 2020 (French)
- ^ Mémorial Lyonnais Du Génocide Des Arméniens. Office du Tourisme et des Congrès du Grand Lyon, accessed on June 23, 2013 (French).
Coordinates: 45 ° 45 ′ 23.4 " N , 4 ° 50 ′ 1.7" E