A Jewish cultural tour in İstanbul was verbally harassed by a group of protesters near Galata Tower yesterday, coinciding with the final day of Hanukkah.
According to Şalom newspaper, the protesters, numbering around 10 to 12 individuals, carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans including, “We don’t want Zionists in our country.”
The 500th Year Foundation Turkish Jews Museum, one of the stops on the tour, issued a statement regarding the incident on social media.
“A group of around 10 to 12 individuals verbally harassed a tour group in front of Galata Tower during the Jewish cultural tour on Dec 21, Sunday,” the museum said. “The group, consisting of 39 participants, was accompanied by police officers assigned by İstanbul police, who had taken all necessary security precautions.”
The museum confirmed that no physical violence occurred and the tour continued as scheduled.
“Following the incident, the tour proceeded as planned, and the group later visited our museum,” the statement read. “The 75 to 80 visitors present in the museum at the time also left safely under the protection of police units.
“We thank the Beyoğlu District Police Department for providing full support from the beginning of the incident until the safe dispersal of our guests.” (TY/VK)
