Turks Protest ‘Armenian Aggression Against Azerbaijan’

Istanbul (Nor Marmara) – The Turkish Anadolu News Agency reported anti-Armenian demonstrations carried out in the public square of Istanbul’s Bakırköy neighborhood, which has a large Armenian population, according to the Istanbul Armenian-language newspaper Nor Marmara, in a July 27 article. The demonstrations included organizations for ethnic Turks from Rize, Yozgat and Bulgaria, and other Turkish organizations. The protestors wore t-shirts with the picture of Azerbaijani soldier Polat Hashimov, who was killed in the recent fighting. Nuran Acar, who spoke on behalf of the group, accused the Republic of Armenia and Armenians of the Diaspora of desire for land, conquest of Nagorno-Karabakh, genocide in Khojaly, and even of killing Muslims on the soil of Anatolia during the Ottoman period. He accused Armenians of terrorism “in the name of the ARF and ASALA in the past and in the name of the Republic of Armenia, the PKK and the Armenian Diaspora today.” After shouting slogans such as “Karabakh for the Turks” and reciting from the Koran, the group dispersed.
There is no word from Nor Marmara on whether Armenian persons or property were damaged in the course of these events.