Atatürk statue in US capital attacked

ISTANBUL

An attack on a statue of modern Turkey founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in front of the Turkish ambassador’s residence took place on June 25 in the U.S. capital, Washington D.C.

“Yes, I am guilty of crimes against humanity” was written in English language on a banner that hung on the statue.

According to a security camera footage of the embassy, a person is seen taking a picture after placing the banner on the statue, then fleeing and taking the banner.

While the embassy officials shared the camera footage with local authorities for identification, the photo was posted on the Facebook page of the “Greek Genocide Resource Center.”

“We’ve learned that the sign was placed there by someone whose extended family perished at Smyrna [İzmir] in 1922 and that it was a peaceful protest against a leader responsible for genocide,” it said in a message written on the post.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul lawmaker Gürsel Tekin has condemned the attack on the Atatürk statue.

“I curse this vandalism, which is intended to create hatred and hostility among peoples and is fed by ignorance,” said Tekin, recalling that former Greek premier Eleftherios Venizelos nominated Atatürk for the Nobel Peace Prize in the 1930s.

The bronze statue of Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, was installed in 2013 outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence on the periphery of Sheridan Circle in the U.S. capital.