Armenophobia Today

Modern-Day Armenophobia: A Timeline of Systematic Hate and Persecution

Throughout modern history, Armenians have been subjected to systemic persecution, violence, and denial of their suffering. From the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 1923 to contemporary political and social efforts to erase Armenian identity and history, Armenophobia continues to manifest worldwide. This timeline documents significant acts of anti-Armenianism, Genocide denial, and state-backed hate from 1990 to the present, exposing the individuals, organizations, and governments complicit in fostering this dangerous prejudice.

Armenian clergy and community leaders raise alarm in Jerusalem, Israel, amid a new Israeli government policy imposing taxes on Armenian-owned properties. The measure, seen as an attempt to weaken the Armenian presence in the city, has sparked concerns over religious and ethnic discrimination.

2025

January – Armenia
Incident: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attempts to downplay the Armenian Genocide, suggesting that it should not be a key issue in diplomacy. Historians and Armenian organizations condemn this as a betrayal of historical truth and an attempt to appease Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Parties responsible: Nikol Pashinyan.

January – Jerusalem, Israel
Incident: The Israeli government proclaims a new policy to tax Armenian-owned properties in Jerusalem, using foreclosure measures to weaken the Armenian presence in the city.
Parties responsible: Israeli government.

Graffiti defacing an Armenian memorial in Paris, France, with yellow spray paint, including the letters 'RTE' and references to 'LOOP GRIS' (Grey Wolves), a Turkish ultranationalist group. The vandalism is part of an anti-Armenian attack amid rising ethnic tensions. The background features Armenian script on a dark wall, partially obscured by the graffiti.

2024

January – Jerusalem, Israel
Incident: Israel-backed real estate investors attempt to seize parts of the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem, pressuring the Armenian Patriarchate to sell historic land. This follows decades of Israeli policies aimed at eroding the Armenian presence in the Holy Land.
Parties responsible: Israeli businessmen backed by government ties.

January – Paris, France
Incident: Armenian memorial sites are vandalized with anti-Armenian graffiti, including slogans referencing Grey Wolves, a Turkish extremist group.
Parties responsible: Turkish ultranationalist groups.

A disturbing anti-Armenian flyer found in Beverly Hills, California, in January 2023, displaying hate speech targeting Armenia. The flyer references Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Israel as "4 brothers" and calls for "erasing Armenia off the world map." This incident is part of ongoing Armenophobia and anti-Armenian rhetoric in various regions.

2023

January – Beverly Hills, USA
Incident: Anti-Armenian flyers were posted in various locations in Beverly Hills, targeting the Armenian community with hateful rhetoric. The flyers displayed messages such as “Israel + Azerbaijan + Turkey + Pakistan = 4 BROTHERS ERASING Armenia OFF the World MAP” and “Azerbaijan + Turkey + Pakistan + Israel = 4 brothers WILL WIPE Armenia OFF the MAP Inshallah!!!” The Beverly Hills Police Department launched an investigation into the source of the flyers.
Parties responsible: The individuals or groups responsible for distributing the flyers remain unidentified.

September – Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)
Incident: Azerbaijan ethnically cleanses 120,000+ Armenians from their 3,000-year-old homeland, Artsakh, forcing them to flee to Armenia. In multiple speeches leading up to the invasion, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev referred to Armenians as “dogs,” “parasites,” and “subhuman creatures.”
Parties responsible: Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani military.

November – United States
Incident: Citigroup faced a significant fine after an investigation revealed discriminatory practices against Armenian Americans. The financial institution allegedly denied credit card applications based solely on applicants’ Armenian surnames, raising concerns about ethnic profiling and systemic bias. The case sparked outrage within the Armenian American community and renewed discussions on financial discrimination and corporate accountability.
Parties responsible: Citigroup.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev making a fist gesture during a speech in Baku, Azerbaijan. In December 2024, Aliyev declared that Armenia is a 'fake country' that will soon disappear, escalating tensions in the South Caucasus. The statement reflects ongoing hostility between Azerbaijan and Armenia amid geopolitical disputes.

2022

December – Baku, Azerbaijan
Incident: Ilham Aliyev declares Armenia a “fake country” that will soon disappear.
Parties responsible: Ilham Aliyev.

Turkish nationalists wave Turkish flags and shout slogans during a demonstration in France following U.S. President Joe Biden’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Reports indicate that some protesters chanted anti-Armenian slogans, including 'death to Armenians,' escalating tensions between Armenian and Turkish communities in France.

2021

February – Philadelphia, USA
Incident: An anti-Armenian billboard was erected in Philadelphia, spreading false narratives and hostility toward Armenians. After backlash and community efforts, the billboard was removed.
Parties responsible: Unknown individuals or organizations with pro-Azerbaijani or pro-Turkish affiliations.

March – Turkey
Incident: Erdoğan refers to Armenians as “leftovers of the sword” (kılıç artığı)—a derogatory term implying that they should have been killed during the Genocide.
Parties responsible: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

April – France
Following U.S. President Joe Biden’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, tensions escalated in France with reports of groups chanting anti-Armenian slogans, including “death to Armenians,” during public demonstrations.
Parties responsible: Pro-Turkish demonstrators.

Graffiti reading 'U WILL PAY' and 'OUR LAND' is seen on the walls and pillars of the Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan (KZV) Armenian School and Community Center in San Francisco. The school was vandalized with anti-Armenian messages in July 2020. Surveillance footage captured multiple individuals defacing the building, with others acting as lookouts.

2020

July – San Francisco, USA
Incident: The Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan (KZV) Armenian School and its adjacent Armenian Community Center were vandalized with threatening and racist graffiti. Surveillance footage showed multiple individuals defacing the school’s walls with such messages, while others acted as lookouts. The graffiti included colors of the Azerbaijani flag and derogatory remarks, suggesting a connection to Azerbaijani nationalist sentiments.
Parties responsible: Azerbaijani and Turkish ultranationalist groups.

October – Azerbaijan & Turkey
Incident: Azerbaijani troops behead Armenian captives, recording their executions on video.
Parties responsible: Azerbaijani military, directly supported by Turkey.

November – France
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced plans to ban the Turkish ultranationalist group “Grey Wolves” after its members were linked to anti-Armenian demonstrations and vandalism, including defacing a monument dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide with pro-Turkish slogans.
Parties responsible: Members of the “Grey Wolves” group.

The Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities reports that systemic Armenophobia is deeply ingrained in Azerbaijan’s government, media, and educational institutions. An entire generation of Azerbaijanis has been raised with state-driven rhetoric of hate, hostility, and victimhood, fostering anti-Armenian sentiments at an institutional level.

2017

July – Azerbaijan
The Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities reported that “an entire generation of Azerbaijanis has now been raised with a rhetoric of hate, hostility and victimhood,” reflecting systemic Armenophobia in the country.
Parties responsible: Azerbaijani government, media and educational institutions.

Image credit: Top – Massispost.com, Bottom- Transparency.am

Azerbaijani soldiers in military uniforms, armed and decorated with medals, sit in formation in front of the Azerbaijani flag. The image represents Azerbaijan's military presence amid reports of war crimes, including the execution of elderly Armenian civilians during the April War (Four-Day War) in Nagorno-Karabakh.

2016

April – Baku, Azerbaijan
Incident: Azerbaijani forces execute elderly Armenian civilians during the April War (Four-Day War) in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Parties responsible: Azerbaijani military.

Justin McCarthy, an American historian accused of genocide denial, has published multiple books from 1983 to 2015 promoting Turkish nationalist narratives that blame Armenians for violence in the Ottoman Empire. His work, reportedly funded by Turkish lobbyists, has been widely criticized for distorting historical facts and shielding Turkey from responsibility for the Armenian Genocide.

2015

April – Istanbul, Turkey
Incident: During the Armenian Genocide Centennial, Turkish nationalists chant “Armenians should be killed again.”
Parties responsible: Grey Wolves, Turkish ultranationalists.

April – Russia
Incident: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov refuses to recognize the Armenian Genocide, stating that it is a “historical debate” rather than a crime against humanity.
Parties responsible: Sergei Lavrov.

1983 – 2015, USA
Incident: Justin McCarthy, a discredited American historian funded by Turkish lobbyists, publishes multiple books for over three decades claiming that Armenians were the true perpetrators of violence in the Ottoman Empire, spreading false narratives to shield Turkey from responsibility for the Armenian Genocide.
Parties responsible: Justin McCarthy.

A scholarly text describing the so-called 'Armenoid' anthropological classification, a term historically used by European anthropologists and later adopted in racist discourse. This classification, which falsely implies that Armenians belong to a distinct and inferior racial group, mirrors 19th-century pseudoscience used by the Ottoman Empire to justify anti-Armenian policies before the Genocide. Today, Turkish and Azerbaijani propagandists continue to use 'Armenoid' as a derogatory term in online discourse.

2010

Europe
Incident: European anthropologists and online forums begin using “Armenoid” as a racial classification, implying that Armenians are a separate and inferior ethnic group. This mirrors 19th-century pseudoscience used by the Ottoman Empire to dehumanize Armenians before the Genocide. Turkish and Azerbaijani propagandists adopt “Armenoid” as a derogatory slur in online discourse.
Parties responsible: European anthropologists, Turkish and Azerbaijani propagandists

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who in October blocked France’s full recognition of the Armenian Genocide, citing diplomatic concerns with Turkey. His decision was widely criticized for prioritizing political relations over historical justice, delaying stronger legislative measures against Armenian Genocide denial in France.

2007

October – France
Incident: French President Nicolas Sarkozy blocks full Armenian Genocide recognition, citing diplomatic concerns with Turkey.
Parties responsible: Nicolas Sarkozy.

Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov, who murdered Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan with an axe while he was asleep during a NATO peacekeeping program. Safarov was later extradited to Azerbaijan from Hungary, where he was pardoned, promoted, and celebrated as a national hero, sparking international condemnation over Azerbaijan's state-sponsored Armenophobia.

2004

February – Budapest, Hungary
Incident: Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov murders Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan with an axe in his sleep during a NATO peacekeeping program.
Outcome: Hungary extradites Safarov to Azerbaijan, knowing he would be pardoned and celebrated.
Parties responsible: Hungarian government, Ilham Aliyev.

Bernard Lewis, a historian known for denying the systematic nature of the Armenian Genocide. In 1995, he publicly claimed there was no official plan for extermination, a statement widely used by Turkish denialists. His remarks sparked outrage, leading to a lawsuit in France, where a court ruled that he had distorted historical facts. Despite being discredited, Lewis’s denialist rhetoric continues to be used in Turkish propaganda today.

1995

USA & France
In 1995, Bernard Lewis, a well-known but now discredited historian, publicly questioned the systematic nature of the Armenian Genocide, stating that “Armenians were not systematically exterminated.” His remarks became a key argument for Turkish denialists seeking to downplay the Genocide. That same year, in an interview with Le Monde, Lewis claimed there was no official plan for extermination, sparking outrage. This led to a lawsuit in France, where a court ruled against him, stating that his remarks constituted a distortion of historical facts. He was ordered to pay symbolic damages for misleading the public but his denialist rhetoric continues to be used in propaganda today.
Parties responsible: Bernard Lewis.

Azerbaijani leaders Heydar Aliyev and his son Ilham Aliyev, who played key roles in shaping Azerbaijan's state policies and propaganda. The Azerbaijani government has used the Khojaly event as a political tool, falsely blaming Armenians for a massacre to fuel anti-Armenian hatred. Under Ilham Aliyev’s leadership, the event has been repeatedly exploited to justify hostility and aggression toward Armenians, contributing to ongoing ethnic tensions in the region.

1992

February – Khojaly, Azerbaijan
Incident: Azerbaijan weaponizes the Khojaly event, falsely blaming Armenians for a massacre to fuel anti-Armenian hatred.
Parties responsible: Azerbaijani government (propaganda campaign).

A historical black-and-white photograph showing the aftermath of the Baku Pogroms in January 1990, where Azerbaijani nationalists, with the support of the Azerbaijani SSR government, looted Armenian homes and businesses, murdered civilians, and expelled the Armenian population. The pogroms led to the ethnic cleansing of nearly 500,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan, marking a tragic chapter in modern ethnic violence.

1990

January – Baku, Azerbaijan
The Baku Pogroms: In a week-long massacre in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, Armenian homes and businesses were looted, and Armenians were beaten, murdered, and expelled. These pogroms and the ones before them in Sumgait and Kirovabad (Ganja), led to the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Azerbaijan, with almost the entire Armenian population (around 400,000–500,000 people) fleeing to Armenia or Russia. Many historians and human rights organizations classify these attacks as ethnically motivated violence and state-sponsored persecution.
Parties responsible: Azerbaijani nationalists, supported by the Azerbaijani SSR government.