# Armenian Genocide - now a crime to deny it in France. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 12, 2006, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armenian-genocide-now-a-crime-to-deny-it-in-france/376173 "2006-10-12T10:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armenian-genocide-now-a-crime-to-deny-it-in-france/376173/1 "2006-10-12T10:38:44Z")
Column ref. [Was there genocide in early 20th century Armenia?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050520.html) The French have just passed a law making it an offence to deny the Armenian genocide… raising the ire of the Turks. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6043730.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6043730.stm) ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armenian-genocide-now-a-crime-to-deny-it-in-france/376173/2 "2006-10-12T21:24:11Z")
yeah… the french seem to strangely oppressive sometimes. I mean Americans are oppressive too with our political correctness. But at least we don’t legislate it. Ok, ok, fine, we don’t legislate it as much. And when we do legislate, we bar actions. Not thoughts. (Except for communism.) er… i don’t know where i’m going with this. The french should calm the fuck down and remember their liberalism. I think with all the recent disorder that’s been going on there, they are starting to lose it (although in a way that’s ironically a vestige of liberal ideology). ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armenian-genocide-now-a-crime-to-deny-it-in-france/376173/3 "2006-10-12T21:35:37Z")
I am not a denier of the Armenian genocide, of course. I just think it is wrong to try to control what people think. Or at least to control it using the powers afforded to the state. It is wrong in principle, and I also think a lot of unbeknown truth and rational thinking may be suppressed as collateral damage. The opinion of the majority is alone an overwhelmingly powerful force that squashes dissent. To arm it with the force of law… is outrage. (And very very rarely is a thing of this type legislated that isn’t in tune with the whim of the majority). ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armenian-genocide-now-a-crime-to-deny-it-in-france/376173/4 "2006-10-12T21:44:26Z")
Also, I’ll bet the true motives behind this act were to slight (sorry, sorry, assimilate. no, sorry, sorry, “integrate”) Muslims rather than to tie up loose ends. If the French government honestly think that that law will positively alter Muslims’ (or Turkish Muslims’) beliefs regarding this time in history… then holy crap, what the hell is going on… Culturally-enforced censorship (ie American political correctness) might do such a trick. But legally-enforced censorship… what the fuck are the Frenchies thinking… excuse my French ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armenian-genocide-now-a-crime-to-deny-it-in-france/376173/5 "2006-10-13T00:16:39Z")
As you are no doubt aware, in many places in Europe it is a crime to deny the Holocaust. I don’t agree with this approach, but I understand its origins: it has much greater immediacy for a country that had its citizens deported at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armenian-genocide-now-a-crime-to-deny-it-in-france/376173/6 "2006-10-13T02:06:47Z")
I don’t agree with suppressing free speech but I can at least see the reasons why a European country might legislate against Holocause denial. But I have a hard time seeing any reason for France to specifically outlaw denying the Armenian genocide except as a political gesture against Turkey and Muslims.