Turkey Calls France Racist, Holds Fire on Genocide Measure

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused France’s parliament of racism for a measure criminalizing the denial of genocide against Armenians in Anatolia, while holding back on announcing additional sanctions.

The law, which passed in the French Senate last night and would make the offense punishable by as much as a year in prison and a 45,000-euro ($58,518) fine, isn’t legal and Turkey will ignore it, Erdogan told lawmakers of his governing party at the parliament in Ankara. About 20 other nations including Russia and Canada recognize the events in Anatolia as genocide.