Call on President Sargsyan not to sign bill Demonstrators opposed to the recently passed legislative changes that would allow for the opening of foreign language schools in Armenian assemble outside the Presidential Palace yesterday evening.

They called on President Sargsyan not to sign the bill, passed by the parliament on December 22, into law. Those taking part in the protest included members of the Sardarabat Movement, a group calling itself the "We are against the reopening of foreign language schools", Heritage Party MP’s and average citizens. Aram Apatyan, a member of the opposition group, attempted to deliver a letter to the president but found that the office accepting correspondence was closed at the time. Mr. Apatyan said he would try again tomorrow. The letter has been signed by 350 opponents to the legislation. He expressed the hope that President Sargsyan would recognize the dangers contained in the bill and that the changes to the law would not resolve any of the issues brought forth by its supporters. Others in the crowd were not so optimistic. Armen Hovhannisyan said that he didn’t expect much from the president and had shown up at the demonstration to express his opposition. He called on his fellow citizens to struggle for their rights as free citizens and argued that when the aims being pursued are just, people fighting to achieve them ultimately win out in the end. He described two approaches to halting the establishment of foreign language schools. One would be to legally contest the constitutionality of the bill and civil disobedience. Heritage Party MP Stepan Safaryan also didn’t rule out taking the matter to the Constitutional Court. He said there were grounds to argue that the bill actually violates the Constitution, and that the Heritage Party would file suit jointly with Apatyan’s group. "These schools will not open. We will not allow such a thing," stated Armen Hovhannisyan. When this reporter asked if those opposing the bill were thinking of changing their tactics, Mr. Hovhannisyan responded an emphatic "no". "Our strategy remains the same. We always said that if the bill passes, the schools mustn’t open. If they do, they mustn’t be allowed to operate. We are not dealing with rational forces on the other side. They are not guided by logic, just brute force," he said.