YEREVAN (Yerkir)–A bomb scare disturbed the Christmas Day mass of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Paris Sunday when police, responding to the threat, evacuated the church during mass to conduct a full-scale search for the premises.
The anonymous call came from a phone booth located close to Avenue des Champs Elysees Sunday morning, police reported. Police arrived at the church at 11:35 AM and called for a complete and immediate evacuation. Primate Norvan Zakarian, who was conducting the mass, initially refused to comply but was eventually persuaded to evacuate the church. Mass resumed after the police search revealed no signs of explosives on the premises.
On October 24, a mob of Turkish ultranationalists destroyed an Armenian Cafe in Brussels during riots triggered by the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106) by the influential Committee on Foreign Affairs of the US House of Representatives.
Sunday’s scare also occurred at a time when the French Senate is set to consider a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide.
