Two Greeks held for waving Orthodox Christian flag at Hagia Sophia

Turkish constabulary person detained two Greeks who waved a emblem bearing a nationalist Orthodox Christian slogan successful Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia, a Byzantine-era cathedral that has been turned into a mosque.

A double-headed eagle and the Greek inscription “Orthodoxy oregon death,” a slogan used successful ultra-conservative Orthodox spiritual circles, adorned the emblem they waved.

“Two Greek tourists – a woman and a antheral – were arrested connected Saturday successful Istanbul,” Greek overseas ministry spokeswoman Lana Zochiou told AFP.

“The Greek consul wide is providing them with due consular assistance,” she said, without elaborating.

Surveillance footage aired Tuesday by the backstage Turkish television transmission NTV showed the two took turns waving the emblem connected the precocious level earlier information officers intervened.

Turkey’s interior ministry did not instantly respond, when contacted by AFP.

The brace were detained connected charges of “humiliating 1 portion of the society”, according to NTV.

In 2020, Turkey converted the Hagia Sophia cathedral from a depository into a mosque, a determination which sparked fury from Greece.

Greece lashed retired astatine Ankara’s determination to reopen the UNESCO World Heritage ιστοσελίδα for Muslim worship, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis calling it a objection of Turkey’s “weakness”.

Source: AFP