On the afternoon of April 24th 2005, the Chairman of the French Falun Gong Association was invited to attend a rally held by Armenian descendants in France. Organised by the General Association of Armenian Descendants in France, the activities were entitled “Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the liberation from Nazi concentration camps and commensurate the 90th anniversary of the holocaust of Armenians in Turkey.” More than eighteen thousand people, including the chairman and representatives of French political parties, public figures of the mainstream society, Armenian descendants in France and Paris citizens, attended the activities.
Many people were inspired and moved by the scene of the rally, especially when the weather underwent a drastic change and heavy rain started to fall. Some people said, “God is crying for these innocent people who were slaughtered.”
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| Falun Gong representative with with Mr. Ara Toranian… | … an Armenian priest… | …and the leading rally organizer. |
The activities started with a press conference hosted by the General Association of Armenian Descendants in France at the Place du Canada, located in the Eighth District of Paris. Representatives of French political parties delivered speeches to denounce the massacre. Among them were Mr. Pierre Lellouche, a right-wing congressman, Mr. F. Hollande, Secretary General of the PS (Parti Socialiste or Socialist Party) who also represented the UMP (Union pour la Majorité Presidentielle or Union for the People's Movement) and Mr. F. Bayrou, Chairman of the UDF (Union pour la democratie francaise or French Democratic Union). The march set off from the Place du Canada and headed towards the Champs-Elysees.
In 2001, France became the first European country that publicly acknowledged the massacre of Armenians in Turkey. When Mr. Ara Toranian, Chairman of the General Association of Armenian Descendants in France, met a reporter from The Epoch Times, he expressed his gratefulness to for publishing articles about the massacre against Armenians. He said, “Your news coverage was made so fast. It is really excellent. Thank you very much.”
New Tang Dynasty TV, the Sound of Hope Radio Network, and The Epoch Times were the only news media that publish in Asia that participated in the activities. The Armenian descendants and Paris citizens were pleased by the presence of Asian news media. They showed great interest and were willing to give interviews. Many French people who came to attend the rally had a copy of the French Epoch Times in their hands.
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| The rally | A member of the public expresses his opinion | Congressman, Mr. Pierre Lellouche being interviewed |
A representative of the Armenian veterans told the Falun Gong Association representative, “I would like to express our support to peaceful movements such as Falun Gong and all of the dissidents suppressed by the Chinese government.”
An Armenian priest told the representative, “I know the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes those people who believe in freedom. I also understand the CCP’s persecution against Falun Gong very well.” He strongly condemned the CCP’s merciless massacres.
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