Turks holding protest actions in Paris since 6 am, Dec. 22

Starting 6 am, December 22, Turks residing in France have been holding large-scale protest actions against adoption of the bill criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial by the French National Assembly, CNN Turk reports.

Turks from all French cities have arrived to Paris to participate in the rallies.

Today, December 22, the French parliament is to debate the bill, which envisages a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros for those who publicly deny the Armenian Genocide in France.

Turkey has piled pressure on France to drop the law ahead of the vote, with President Abdullah Gul and a Turkish delegation to Paris warning its adoption will spark a diplomatic crisis and have economic consequences.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu threatened to introduce a bill on “the genocide committed by France in Algeria, where 45000 local residents died in 1945.” PACE President Mevlut Cavusoglu laid “the responsibility of possible worsening of relations between Paris and Ankara on Nicolas Sarkozy.”

Meanwhile, many French politicians stand for adoption of the bill. “The Armenian Genocide is a fact of history and a proposed French law making it illegal to deny this has nothing to do with forthcoming elections,” France's Minister for Europe Jean Leonetti has said.