Azernews.Az

By Ayya Lmahamad

Radical Armenian groups in Los Angeles, California have launched a campaign to target Azerbaijanis and Turks living in that city.

Social media campaigns managed by these groups are asking for information that reveals the home addresses of Azerbaijanis and Turks living in the area.

One Instagram account “armo_bountyhunters” with Armenian flag offered Bitcoin payment of $500 for information on the whereabouts of local Azerbaijanis and Turks in Los Angeles.

The post comes after a large group of Armenian nationalists backed by Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) assaulted some 70 Azerbaijanis during the rally outside of the Azerbaijani Consulate General in Los Angeles on July 21. Seven Azerbaijanis were injured and four of them were hospitalized. In addition, a police officer of Los Angeles Police Department received head injury while trying to protect the Azerbaijani woman from Armenian attackers.

Los Angeles Police Department announced that three of the assaults during a large demonstrations staged by an Armenian group near the Azerbaijani Consulate in Brentwood were being investigated as hate crimes.

Armenian social media users have praised the attack on Azerbaijanis in Los Angeles.

One Armenian Facebook user praised the attack, saying: "Death toll of Aziks will rise soon in LA. Good job brothers!!!"

The Azerbaijani Consulate in Los Angeles posted a hotline in its Twitter page on 23 April, saying: "This might be part of an intimidation campaign by some radical and aggressive Armenian groups. We call on all of you to be careful and be alert for any provocation from such groups."

Belgium has been another venue of aggression by Armenian nationalist groups against Azerbaijani civilians in the past week.

Police in Belgium has so far arrested 17 Armenians following violent attack on Azerbaijanis outside of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Belgium on July 22. Six members of the Azerbaijani diaspora were attacked by Armenians who threw stones, sharp cutting tools and explosives at them outside of the embassy building.

Apart from attacking diplomatic missions, groups of Armenians also targeted individual Azerbaijanis. A video circulated in social media on July 23 showed a group of up to ten Armenians violently beating an Azerbaijani man covered in blood and verbally insulting him.

Protests rallies against Armenia’s military provocation on the Azerbaijani- Armenian state border were held by Azerbaijanis in various European countries such as The Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Lithuania, Germany etc, as well as in United Kingdom, U.S., Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Israel.

The rallies are taking place following several days of gross ceasefire violations by Armenian armed forces in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz region.

The attacks killed 12 Azerbaijani servicemen – including an army general – and a civilian.

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