10/30/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Conflict in the Caucasus have ignited anti-Armenian sentiment in sectors within and influenced by Turkey. This sentiment has only grown in recent days.
Editor-in-chief of the Agos Newspaper tweeted that 142 Armenians left Turkey on October 28th to return to their homeland, saying that “we are losing and bleeding all together.” Armenians are already one of the most targeted groups in Turkey from hate speech items, but this has only increased because of the Caucasus conflict. They are often targeted by ultranationalist elements.
These elements, however, are not constrained to Turkey. Armenians are also being targeted by Turkish ultranationalists in other countries. For example, reports (also on October 28th) documented that the Grey Wolves orchestrated “a hunt for Armenians” through the streets of two French towns. The Grey Wolves are a far-right militant ultra-nationalist Turkish group who have a long history of targeting Christians, including wounding Pope John Paul II in 1981.
Similar incidents have been reported elsewhere, both within Turkey and across the Middle East region.
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