100 years ago, the Armenian genocide* began, resulting in 1.8 million deaths out of a population of approximately 2 million people. Today, Armenia has a population of 2.7 million. These figures give an idea of the magnitude of the genocide and its terrible impact on an ancient culture. It takes exceptional courage and greatness of spirit to recover from such individual and collective trauma.
Turkey’s refusal to recognize this genocide is an additional aggression against the peoples who were its victims.
More than 80,000 Armenian survivors then found refuge in France, particularly in Nice, in the La Madeleine district. Today, there are about 5,000 of them in Nice.
A commemoration ceremony, attended by Adolphe Colrat, Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Christian Estrosi, Eric Ciotti, president of the Department of A-M, mayor of Nice and president of the Metropolis, and with the participation of the Armenian community of Nice, will take place at 7:15 PM, at the Monument aux Morts of Rauba Capeu.
On this occasion, Vahé Vahramian, Embassy Counselor representing the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in France, will read a message from the latter.
A concert, “Souvenirs of Armenia,” by the Coràson chamber choir, a young cosmopolitan choir that currently has about fifty members from all backgrounds, will take place at 8:00 PM at the La Providence Cultural Center (8 bis rue Saint Augustin, Old Nice).
The opposition elected officials of Nice speak unanimously:
Patrick Allemand, president of the socialist and green group at the city council: “On the occasion of the centenary of the genocide, I associate myself with the pain of remembrance felt by all Armenians and French people of Armenian origin.
I am particularly thinking of the Armenians of Nice, who arrived from the early 1920s and immediately settled in La Madeleine. In Nice, Armenians are at home. They are Niçois among other Niçois. Without them, Nice would not be quite the same. This is the lesson of contemporary Niçois history: our differences enrich our society as long as we accept and respect each other.”
Marie-Christine Arnautu, municipal councilor for the FN and European deputy: “The National Front voted in the European Parliament in favor of a resolution urging Turkey to finally recognize its crimes and supports any initiative in this direction. I express my support to all Armenians in France, particularly those in Nice, as well as to all Christian communities who were victims of Turkish barbarism between 1915 and 1917.
Gaël Nofri, DVD municipal councilor: “History will remember that those who tried to deny the very existence of a People, going so far as to plan their physical disappearance, today refuse to recognize the truth of the crime, the last outrage of the executioner to his victim. France—which saved many Armenians, notably at Moussa-Dagh—, as well as the City of Nice—which welcomed some of the survivors before twinning with Yerevan—, justly honor those whose children and grandchildren now form an integral part of the national community.”
