Ankara wants monument Algerian war of independence

ISTANBUL – The mayor of the Turkish capital Ankara is determined to erect a monument in his city to remember the atrocities committed by France during the Algerian war of independence. The monument will be placed right in front of the French embassy.

The mayor, Melih Gökcek, told daily Hürriyet: ‘The monument will have a button, and if you press it, you will hear the Algerian national anthem. We will place the monument right where nobody who visits the French embassy can miss it.’

The planned monument is a reaction to the law passed by the French parliament today, which makes denying the Armenian genocide a punishable offense. Earlier this week the biggest Turkish opposition party sent a draft law to parliament which would label French atrocities in Algeria as ‘genocide’.