ISTANBUL-BASED ARMENIAN CHURCH DAUBED WITH HATE MESSAGES

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 25 2015

This image circulated on Twitter shows one of the messages on the
wall of the Armenian church, which reads: “What does it matter if
you are all Armenian when one of us is Ogun Samast.”

March 25, 2015, Wednesday/ 16:02:30/ ZEYNEP KARATAÃ…~^ / ISTANBUL

The Surp Astuanzazh Armenian Church in Ä°stanbul’s Bakırköy
neighborhood was daubed with hate speech on Tuesday as “1915, blessed
year” was written on the side of the building in reference to the
massacre of more than 1 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire
during World War I.

Tensions have been growing since Turkey announced in January that
it would host international events to commemorate the centennial of
the Gallipoli Campaign on April 24, a date that overlaps with the
annual commemoration of the massacres, which many countries consider
to be genocide.

In addition to “1915, blessed year,” further graffiti on the church
stated, “What does it matter if you are all Armenian when there is
already one Ogun Samast.”

The message echoes a demonstration slogan that commemorated the murder
of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink who was assassinated in
2007 by then-17-year-old ultranationalist Samast. In the aftermath
of the murder, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to show
empathy for the slain journalist with signs reading “We are all Hrant,
we are all Armenian.”

Today’s Zaman visited the site on Wednesday morning and found that
the graffiti had been painted over. But an administrator at the
church said, “This type of thing happens all the time.” The Armenian
Patriarchate of Ä°stanbul refused to comment on the matter. No criminal
complaint has been filed.

The incident comes hot on the heels of another racist slur against
Armenians in Turkey. It was reported on Tuesday that Ankara Mayor
Melih Gökcek had filed a criminal complaint against Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hayko Bagdat on defamation charges after Bagdat posted
lighthearted tweets on his Twitter account referring to the mayor as
an Armenian after the March 2014 local elections.

Gökcek appears to believe it an insult to be called an Armenian
as his lawyer petitioned the Ankara Prosecutor’s Office, saying,
“The statements [by Bagdat] are false and include insult and libel.”