Hisarcıklıoğlu: Politicians who put personal gain before that of their country should remember that truth is above the law
23.12.2011 / Ankara
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, in regards to the law outlawing the denial of the Armenian claims regarding the 1915 events, published a message, “The bill passed to the Senate agenda today by the French National Assembly will remain a black stain on the history of Turkish-French relations. France, in a politically motivated move is purporting to rewrite official history regardless of the works of scientists and historians or archived documents.”
In his message, Hisarcıklıoğlu wrote:
“’If a government has passed a law declaring that two times two make five, there is no need to call that country’s mathematicians as witness!’ The French government has made a scholastic decision in forbidding even the historians from discussing a historical event!
Whereas everything was granted a chance for defense in the court of reason thanks to the French enlightenment. This decision, which attempts to seize the right to defense of an idea, falls short in terms of conscience and justice. France has taken a step back three hundred years with this decision, denying its own enlightenment and preferring the dark ages.
There is a French proverb: ‘The blindness of thought is worse than the blindness of eyes.’ French politics are to blind in our eyes!
‘I disagree with what you say but I will defend to death your right to say it’ has, unfortunately, been forgotten by the French politicians of today. Throughout the French revolutions, around 40,000 people lost their lives at the guillotine. Today, freedom of thought has been sent to the guillotine.
The tribunals of the Dark Ages deemed that the world was flat and did not revolve around its axis, Galileo was condemned for claiming otherwise. Galileo, even though he was condemned, said ‘the world turns still’.
As the Turkish business world, we will emulate Galileo against those who have passed this law contradicting freedom of thought. Politicians who put personal gain before that of their country should remember that truth is above the law. The most fundamental truth is that no idea can be forbidden.
Throughout this period we have seen to our great gratitude that the French business community is of a mind with us. That France, considered to be the cradle of the freedom thought and expression, is heading towards ‘an eclipse of the mind’, towards ‘darkness’ will be judged the most appropriately by the people of France. The fault of creating this environment of negativity which may result in hard to mend wounds in bilateral relations lies solely with the French politicians.
It is our fervent hope that this foul attempt is halted by the French Senate. As the Turkish business world, we will continue our efforts to have this decision annulled at the French Senate.”
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