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Turkish-Americans March Against NYC Mayor Over 1915 Remarks
(MENAFN) Members of the Turkish-American community staged a vocal protest in Times Square on Sunday, demonstrating against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over statements he made regarding the 1915 events of the Ottoman Empire and the disputed Karabakh region.
The demonstration, backed by multiple Turkish civic associations, was triggered by a post Mamdani published on X, the US-based social media platform, on April 24 — the anniversary commemorated annually by Armenian communities worldwide. Protesters gathered carrying placards and chanting slogans, drawing participants from across the Turkish-American diaspora.
Intermittent tensions flared briefly between a number of Armenian individuals and Turkish community members present at the scene. Digital trucks bearing content challenging Mamdani's claims also circulated through Times Square during the demonstration.
In a formal statement issued in connection with the protest, participants argued that the mayor's characterization of events in Karabakh was factually inaccurate. The statement further cautioned that for the leader of one of the world's most ethnically diverse cities, Mamdani's language carries the real risk of marginalizing the very communities he is elected to represent.
The protesters also called for the 1915–1923 period to be assessed through the lens of documented historical evidence, urging a move away from rhetoric that they say entrenches division rather than fostering understanding.
In his X post, Mamdani stated that "1.5 million Armenians" were killed by the Ottoman Empire, and further claimed that Azerbaijan and Türkiye attacked Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, with more than 100,000 Armenians expelled from the region in 2023.
Türkiye firmly rejects the framing of the 1915 events as genocide, characterizing them instead as a wartime tragedy in which casualties were sustained on both sides. Ankara has repeatedly put forward a proposal for a joint historical commission — comprising scholars from Türkiye, Armenia, and the broader international academic community — to examine the events through an impartial, evidence-based process.
The demonstration, backed by multiple Turkish civic associations, was triggered by a post Mamdani published on X, the US-based social media platform, on April 24 — the anniversary commemorated annually by Armenian communities worldwide. Protesters gathered carrying placards and chanting slogans, drawing participants from across the Turkish-American diaspora.
Intermittent tensions flared briefly between a number of Armenian individuals and Turkish community members present at the scene. Digital trucks bearing content challenging Mamdani's claims also circulated through Times Square during the demonstration.
In a formal statement issued in connection with the protest, participants argued that the mayor's characterization of events in Karabakh was factually inaccurate. The statement further cautioned that for the leader of one of the world's most ethnically diverse cities, Mamdani's language carries the real risk of marginalizing the very communities he is elected to represent.
The protesters also called for the 1915–1923 period to be assessed through the lens of documented historical evidence, urging a move away from rhetoric that they say entrenches division rather than fostering understanding.
In his X post, Mamdani stated that "1.5 million Armenians" were killed by the Ottoman Empire, and further claimed that Azerbaijan and Türkiye attacked Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, with more than 100,000 Armenians expelled from the region in 2023.
Türkiye firmly rejects the framing of the 1915 events as genocide, characterizing them instead as a wartime tragedy in which casualties were sustained on both sides. Ankara has repeatedly put forward a proposal for a joint historical commission — comprising scholars from Türkiye, Armenia, and the broader international academic community — to examine the events through an impartial, evidence-based process.
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