They were thousands gathered on the small place Édouard Herriot adjoining the Palais Bourbon which houses the National Assembly.
A frail promontory elevates the passing orators.
In front of them, the crowd occupies the smallest plot, even under the awning of Le Bourbons cafe, and in the surrounding streets.
The Armenians of France came to demonstrate to demand from France the recognition of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, this disputed region of the Causase for which Armenia and Azerbaijan are waging war since September 23.
To read also: Nagorno-Karabakh: in the basements of Stepanakert, the fragile hope of a ceasefire
In the crowd, the signs incriminate Reycep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president more than Ilham Aliyev, the head of the Azeri state.
The slogans equate the Turkish president sometimes with Hitler, sometimes with Daesh.
Turkey supports with all its weight the small Turkish-speaking state against Armenia, providing it with military equipment and advisers.
The 1915 genocide is on everyone's lips.
In 1915, the young Turkish republic of Ataturk ordered the slaughter of thousands of Armenians.
"
Erdogan wants to finish the job,
" vituper Pierre Indjeyan, an Armenian born in France, but originally from Istanbul.
Armenian flag on the shoulders, and flanked by his two children, he is sorry that the French ignore the importance of Artsakh for the Armenians.
“
It is the cradle of our civilization,” he explains.
Our alphabet was invented there, in a monastery
”.
The forty-something is interrupted by an energetic woman who approaches to share his anger.
Natalie Dursaligolu apologizes for her Turkish patronage, imposed on her ancestors.
This 44-year-old woman castigates terrorists and weeps over the dead.
"
Look at the dates of birth: 2000, 2002, 18 year old kids are dying!"
She exclaims.
His speech panics, his voice rises to howl.
"
Erdogan wants to bathe us in our blood, and what do we do?"
What do we do?
She yells.
Independence and military intervention
On the dais, Ara Toranian and Mourade Papazian, the two presidents of the coordination council of the Armenian organizations of France, aranged the crowd.
Mourade Papazian speaks first.
In his stentorian voice, he vociferates in a maritial tone.
“
The codes of diplomacy are dialogue, negotiation.
but it's been seventeen days since Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno-Karabakh, we must break the codes!
".
Thunderous applause.
In his large gray coat, Mourad Papazian urges the crowd to resist.
“
We are there next to our brothers who are fighting!
He repeats.
Ara Toranian's eloquence is less thunderous.
To the flights of his companion, he prefers the cold warning.
“
What our brothers defend is us, France, against the jihadists
”.
The slippage is crossed, it is found on the banners, and in the mouths of the people coming to demonstrate.
Azerbaijan is jihadism, it is also Turkey.
Both require two things: recognition of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, and an intervention force to restore calm to the region.
Deputies and Senators
In the front rows, a college of tricolor scarves nods.
They are several deputies, mayors, senators to have joined the demonstration in support of the "
Armenian cause
": Valérie Boyer, François Pupponi, Nicolas Dupond-Aignan.
Away from the crowd which chants its hostility to Erdogan, François Pupponi recognizes the difficulty of an armed intervention within the framework of the UN.
Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations prohibits any violation of the sovereignty of a state, and an intervention force can only be decided with the agreement of the state concerned.
Except, in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, which claims sovereignty over this territory, refuses any foreign interference.
"
It is for this reason that we must first recognize the independence of Artsakh, so that an intervention force can intervene,
" he explains.
Read also: The Russo-Turkish relationship put to the test in the Caucasus
François Pupponi spoke on the platform with Valéry Boyer. She is elected The Republicans, he is elected Socialist. They take their turn to support the "Armenian cause". Valéry Boyer announces that he has demanded before the Assembly the creation of a study group on the conflict. François Pupponi announces the imminent departure of a delegation of elected officials in Artsakh. Both readily adopt the marital tone that befits war, and which in France is hardly more used. "
If we have to leave the Minsk group, then we will leave the Minsk group," argues the Socialist deputy. Neutrality is enough
”.
