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.
2025
European Union Downplays Armenian Genocide in Official April 24 Statement
April 24, 2025 – Yerevan, Armenia
On April 24, 2025, which marks Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, the European Union Mission in Armenia published a commemorative message referring to the “victims of the Armenian Genocide.” Within hours, the post was deleted and replaced with a diluted phrase: “victims of 1915–1923.” The alteration sparked backlash among Armenians and genocide scholars, who viewed the change as an act of historical erasure and diplomatic appeasement. This rewording not only undermines recognition of the Armenian Genocide but also reflects the EU’s growing pattern of sidestepping politically inconvenient truths.
Image Source: EU Mission in Armenia.
Israeli Police Target Armenian Worshippers During Holy Fire Ceremony in Jerusalem
April 2025 – Jerusalem
Incident: On Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025, Israeli police forcibly expelled Armenian worshippers from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during the Holy Fire ceremony. Witnesses reported assaults and blocked access despite valid permits. A widely circulated video shows an officer placing his foot on the sacred Stone of Anointing, deepening outrage. Year after year, it is the Armenian community alone that faces racial hostility and intimidation, while other Christian communities remain largely undisturbed. The targeting of Armenians and the Armenian Quarter is deliberate and must be recognized as a clear manifestation of Armenophobia.
Parties responsible: Israeli police forces.
Vatican Hosts Conference Promoting Azerbaijani Claims Over Armenian Heritage
April 2025 – Rome
Incident: The Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome hosted a conference titled “Christianity in Azerbaijan,” presenting Armenian Christian sites as part of Azerbaijani heritage. The event was widely condemned by Armenian organizations as an attempt to erase Armenian history.
Parties responsible: Azerbaijani government institutions; Pontifical Gregorian University; Vatican officials involved in the event.
U.S. Banks Investigated for Discrimination Against Armenian-Americans
March 2025 – Los Angeles, USA
Incident: The Los Angeles Civil Rights Department launches an investigation into widespread claims of discrimination against Armenian-Americans by major U.S. banks. Allegations include abrupt account closures and denial of services based on Armenian surnames.
Parties responsible: Multiple U.S. financial institutions (under investigation).
2024
Armenian Memorials Vandalized with Grey Wolves Graffiti in Paris
January 2024 – 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.
Israeli Developers Target Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem
January 2024 – 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.
2023
Citigroup Fined for Discriminating Against Armenian Americans
November 2023 – USA
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.
Azerbaijan Carries Out Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians in Artsakh
September 2023 – 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.
Hate Flyers Target Armenian Community in Beverly Hills
January 2023 – 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 but are suspected to be organizations with pro-Azerbaijani or pro-Turkish affiliations.
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2022
Azerbaijani President Denounces Armenia as a “Fake Country”
December 2022 – Baku, Azerbaijan
Incident: In a televised speech, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared that Armenia is a “fake country” that “will soon disappear.” The statement was denounced as a blatant display of Armenophobia, reinforcing a pattern of state-led hate speech and incitement against the Armenian people.
International observers described his remarks as genocidal rhetoric aimed at delegitimizing Armenian statehood.
Parties responsible: Ilham Aliyev.
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2021
Pro-Turkish Demonstrators Chant “Death to Armenians” in France
April 2021 – France
Incident: 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.
Erdoğan Uses Genocide-Era Slur Against Armenians
March 2021 – 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.
Anti-Armenian Billboard Removed After Outcry in Philadelphia
February 2021 – 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.
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2020
France Moves to Ban Turkish Ultranationalist Group Over Anti-Armenian Acts
November 2020 – France
Incident: 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.
Azerbaijani Soldiers Behead Armenian Captives on Video
October 2020 – Azerbaijan
Incident: Shocking footage emerged of Azerbaijani soldiers beheading Armenian prisoners of war, with the executions deliberately filmed and circulated online. The videos sparked international outrage and were seen as part of a broader campaign of terror and psychological warfare against Armenians. The brutality of the acts, combined with their intentional documentation, underscored the deep-rooted Armenophobia driving military actions in the region.
Parties responsible: Azerbaijani military.
Armenian School in San Francisco Vandalized with Hate Graffiti
July 2020 – 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.
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July 2017 – Azerbaijan
Incident: 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.
April 2016 – Baku, Azerbaijan
Incident: Azerbaijani forces execute elderly Armenian civilians during the April War (Four-Day War) in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Parties responsible: Azerbaijani military.
April 2015 – Istanbul, Turkey
Incident: During the Armenian Genocide Centennial, Turkish nationalists chant “Armenians should be killed again.”
Parties responsible: Grey Wolves, Turkish ultranationalists.
April 2015 – 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.
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
October 2007 – France
Incident: French President Nicolas Sarkozy blocks full Armenian Genocide recognition, citing diplomatic concerns with Turkey.
Parties responsible: Nicolas Sarkozy.
February 2004 – 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.
1995 – USA & France
Incident: 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.
February 1992 – 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).
January 1990 – Baku, Azerbaijan
Incident: “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.