Muslim cemetery of Pospos and Ifestos districts in Komotini, Greece desecrated

Vandals desecrated the Muslim cemetery of Pospos(Poşpoş) and Ifestos(Kalkanca) districts in the northern city of Komotini, Greece late on Friday, on 13 August 2010. The unidentified assailants destroyed more than twenty gravestones in the cemetery, and according to the the news of daily Birlik, they spray painted “The Consulate General, Get Out” and “Chrysi Avyi (Golden Dawn)” on the cemetery walls.*

Subsequently, around 500 members of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace protested the desecration by sitting down in the centre of Komotini. On 14 August, the Greek government spokesman George Petalotis made a statement and blamed the vandalism: “Within societies, there are marginal groups trying to sow hatred. Their acts must be condemned and are against our national interests.”

Habipoğlu: We should stand away from such provocations and keep our temper

With regard to the desecration, Halit Habipoğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) stated that: “We condemn vigorously the desecration of the Muslim cemetery of Pospos and Ifestos districts. We cannot accept this hate-based vandalism against religious freedom, which occurred in the holy month of Ramadan. Only after two days the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Thessaloniki had been attacked, the Muslim cemetery was desecrated. This brings to mind the possibility of a number of planned provocation actions. However, the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace should persistently stand away from such provocations and keep its temper”.