JEWS SUPPORT ARMENIANS

CRIF's Marc Knobel, President of the J'Accuse association, said he supported the action against the denial of the Armenian genocide. "The denial of the Holocaust is led by sects while the denial of the Armenian genocide is led by a state, with the means of a state.

Quid's Director Fabrice Frémy said in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro, "We cannot cover up the position of Turkey, a legitimate state on the doorstep of Europe. The public at large must know the ins and outs of the debate. Elsewhere (in the Quid) we give the figure put forward by the Armenians of 1.2 million dead. Asked whether the Armenian genocide was just a "version" of History, Frémy answered, "We recognize this genocide. But the works are endlessly evolving and we think it necessary to publish the various estimates of the amount of victims. The encyclopedia is not the temple of a fixed and consensual knowledge. This is why we have presented the works of Faurisson"

"You were condemned to withdraw them", said the interviewer.

"The Jewish associations went to Court and led an iniquitous press campaign right on Christmas when we have our peak sales. We compromised and suppressed this figure ("150,000 dead including 100,000 Jews most of them died from typhus"). I do regret however that the new vigilance of the associations endangers the freedom of expression. One is breaking down the critical apparatus of thought. It is not up the judges to state what History is," concluded Frémy.

Harout Mardirossian, President of the Committee for the Defence of the Armenian Cause said, "Through this lawsuit, we are trying to restore some dignity to the memory of our parents and grand-parents, so that publications like the Quid stop besmirching them by presenting them in a deceptive way as liars while they were the victims of a crime committed by a murderer who refuses to admit it."

In a related issue, the relations between CRIF and the Armenian organizations in France are stepped up and joint projects are being materialized. CRIF's Director General Haim Musicant, Jean-Pierre Allali of Crif's Executive and Crif's Researcher Marc Knobel met with Ara Toranian, President of the Co-ordination Council of the Armenian Organizations in France, Harout Mardirossian, President Committee for the Defense of the Armenian Cause, and historian Yves Ternon, a specialist of the history of Armenia.

The two parties agreed on a series of common actions. "Remember together, act together," said the participants. A conference comparing the Holocaust and the Armenian genocide is slated for next spring. A joint trip to Israel and Armenia will also be organized.