Anti-Armenian Hate Crimes Rise in California
01/07/2021 San Francisco (International Christian Concern) – According to a report from the San Francisco Examiner, hate crimes against the Armenian Christian community are on the rise. In the San Francisco Bay area alone, there were four anti-Armenian hate crimes during the second half of last year, including arson and vandalization. These crimes come alongside the armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan sparked in September after a decades-long feud between the two countries.
An estimated 2,500 Armenian-Americans live in the San Francisco Bay Area as a result of the spread of the Armenian diaspora following the Armenian genocide in the early 20
FBI offering $50,000 reward in Armenian church arson bignewsnetwork.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bignewsnetwork.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The fire drew outrage from members of the city s Armenian community and District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who called the act cowardly and hateful. This act of violence was not just an attack on a building, but on a congregation. This was an attack on a community, FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Fair said in a statement. We are counting on members of the community to keep our city safe. Every lead will be thoroughly investigated.
Separately from the arson, investigators are also looking into two vandalism incidents that have occurred at an Armenian school.
In July, suspects were seen on surveillance video breaking into the Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School at 825 Brotherhood Way and vandalizing its walls with graffiti that conveyed anti-Armenian messages. Then, just four days after the Sept. 17 arson, officers found a sign outside the school was riddled with bullet holes. No one was injured in the shooting, police said.
$50K reward offered in arson at San Francisco Armenian church
By Andre Torrez article
Arson damage at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco on September 17, 2020. Photos courtesy FBI.
SAN FRANCISCO - The Federal Bureau of Investigation s San Francisco Division announced a $50,000 reward on Thursday for information on the arson at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church.
The arson at the church s adjacent administration building happened on Sept. 17 at around 4 a.m. in the city s Presidio Heights neighborhood. Fire, heavy smoke and water destroyed church records, and ripped through its library and Sunday school, causing significant damage to the church itself.