Turkey’s Muslims recently invaded with violent intent a number of Armenian (Christian) neighborhoods in Istanbul.
“These districts must be turned into Armenian and Kurdish cemeteries,” chanted the angry Turks who support the Erdogan government.
This came in response to ongoing clashes between Turkish authorities and the Kurdish Worker’s Party in the east and southeast of the nation—though it is unclear how Armenians are to blame, except in the spirit of the “collective punishment” of inferiors.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople released a statement saying that it prays for an end to the chaos threatening the unity of Turkey. It also expressed disquiet over the targeting of the Armenian community in Turkish media:
From time to time expressions of some writers targeting our community and identifying it with that terrorist group deeply insult the Armenian citizens who have always been committed to this country and possess civic consciousness. Using unjust expressions referring to the Armenian citizens considering themselves a part of Turkey is an attitude not fitting in the frames of goodness. We are convinced that the majority of our nation does not agree to these alienating expressions.