ANKARA. - The Mayor of Ankara, Melih Gokcek, stated that their protest, which is launched against the French National Assembly’s passing of the bill that criminalizes the denial of Armenian Genocide, will not be limited to erecting an Algerian “genocide” monument in front of the French embassy in the Turkish capital.    

Gokcek also noted that they will wait until the end of February—that is, when the French Senate will decide on the Armenian bill—for the protests. He said he already suspended the order for 100 electric cars, which he had placed with Renault automaker of France.        

“Also, we will introduce to the municipal parliament the matter of renaming Ankara’s French-named streets. We will act in line with the French Senate’s decision,” Ankara’s mayor stated, Haberler news agency of Turkey reported.  

To note, the French National Assembly passed, on December 22, the bill that criminalizes the denial of genocides. But the bill still needs to be approved by the French Senate, which is expected to discuss it in February. The bill sets a one-year prison sentence plus a 45-thousand-Euro fine for anyone who denies genocides. And in reprisal to the passage of this bill, Turkey recalled its ambassador to France, and Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Turkey’s eight-point sanctions against France.