Mobilization of French Armenian Activists for the Recognition of the Genocide in the late 1970’s: The Example of the March from Lyon to Saint-Julien-en-Genevois

1. My first purpose is to demonstrate how and why French Armenian activists positioned themselves on the matter of the recognition of the Genocide in the 70’s.
Starting in the early 70s, Armenian activists’ taking to the street in France against the Turkish negationist stance was equally important as diplomatic efforts or armed struggle.
These actions had a performative effect as they repeatedly raised the Armenian question in the public space – that is to say, the geographic space, rather than the symbolic sense according to Habermas (opinion, medias, politics). This can be partly explained by the fact these actions took place in the whole diaspora and were part of a transnational repertoire, even if the forms of protest were not the same and differed from country to country. Inspired by the works of English historian Charles Tilly, when he studied the “repertoires of contention” we want to demonstrate the role of the demonstration in imposing the Armenian question on the public space. There is a wide range of meanings for the term “demonstration” for instance: occupying places, hunger strikes or marches, the march organized by the Armenian socialist activists (Dachnaks) in February 1979, from Lyon to Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, is one of these demonstrations.
These different modes of action tended to overlap reflecting multiple identities: French, Armenian, diasporic, and global, because as a diaspora, Armenians are influenced by what is happening in all the world, especially in the 70’s, a protest decade. Thus, the February 1979 march must be studied at different levels. These Armenian demonstrations did not have the same temporality because of these mixed identities.
2. Then, it is interesting to understand why these demonstrations had an impact on France’s recognizing the Genocide much later in 2001. There is a history of France’s strident criticism of Ottoman massacres since the end of the 19th century. But micro analysis is necessary and we intend to focus on the Rhônes-Alpes region because of the relations between the Dachnaks and local socialist mayors – like Louis Mermaz in Vienne.
However, this march and other actions played a role before lobbying took over in the 1980’s. The march in Lyon must be considered in several contexts: local, national, and international. Lyon is not far from Geneva, with its UNO seat. In addition, this is where a 1973 report mentioned for the first time the word “genocide.” Unfortunately, this report was withdrawn under Turkey’s pressure and Armenian activists were doing their utmost to see it republished. The report was due to be reexamined in Geneva in March 1979.
3. Then we will shortly examine if all this activism spawned other forms of activism in the world. Such an Armenian march staged in Canada in 1981, and another one against racism in France in 1983.