Erdogan Comments on Dance Incident Near Armenian Church in Istanbul

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has labeled the incident involving men dancing near the wall of the Armenian St. King Church in Istanbul's Kadikoy district as a provocation. In a video message posted on Twitter, Erdogan stated, "The disrespect towards religion, which was exhibited near the Kadikoy church, I consider a provocation aimed at our unity."

Earlier, Turkish media reported that a group of young men were seen dancing on the walls of the church during the night of July 11-12. The video, which features intoxicated men dancing in front of a cross, has gone viral on social media.

The Istanbul administration has announced the arrest of those involved in the incident, and house arrest has been imposed as a measure against them.