PARIS, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Officials in the Vendee region of western France say the revolutionary government of 1794 was responsible for genocide committed against area peasants.
The (Britain) Daily Telegraph said Friday that the French department is seeking a designation of genocide for the massacre of thousands of peasants at the hands of government troops during the historical period.
Movement for France official Philippe de Villiers said the historic incident, along with similar acts perpetrated by Revolutionary commander Jean-Baptiste Carrier, was aimed at eliminating the Vendee population.
"Why did it take place? Because a people was chosen to be liquidated on account of their religious faith," he said. "Today we demand a law officially declaring it as a genocide; we demand a statement from the president; and recognition by the United Nations."
Historian Alain Gerard told the Telegraph the massacre marked a bloody moment in the French Revolution's history.
"It was the revolution turning against the very people from whom it claimed legitimacy. It proved the faithlessness of the revolution to its own principles. That's why it was wiped out of the historical memory," he said.
