Hate Crimes

This page gives examples of individual hate crimes, primarily in the West, against people of Armenian heritage immediately before, during, and after the events in Artsakh.

1 April 2023: Anti-Armenian Hate Flyers displayed in Glendale

28 January 2023: Anti-Armenian Hate Flyers displayed in Beverly Hills

30 October 2020: Stabbing at Defend Armenia protest

  • Type of incident: Stabbing, disputed hate crime status -- not clear-cut
  • Location of incident: Fresno, California
  • Perpetrator(s): Jaime Fonseca, 41-year-old man; history of legal disputes
  • Law enforcement actions: Fonseca charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and an illegal weapons charge; no hate crime charge, however (info here)
  • Sources and additional readings: ABC 30 (1, 2); ABC 7; LA Times; Your Central Valley; UniCourt

21 September 2020: Shooting at Armenian school (while it was empty); no one hurt

  • Type of incident: Shooting
  • Location of incident: KZV Armenian School (K-8) in San Francisco, California
  • Perpetrator(s): Unknown
  • Law enforcement actions: SFPD hate crime investigation, the third in the area in two months against Armenians (other crimes below)
  • Sources and additional readings: CBS Bay Area; SF Examiner; Persecution; Christianity Daily

17 September 2020: Burning of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church

27 July 2020: Anti-Armenian, pro-Azerbaijani hate speech spray-painted on Armenian school

  • Type of incident: Vandalism
  • Location of incident: KZV Armenian School (K-8) in San Francisco, California
  • Perpetrators: Unknown
  • Law enforcement actions: Categorized as hate crime and under investigation by San Francisco Police Department
  • Sources and additional readings: Persecution; Mirror-Spectator; ABC 7; San Francisco Chronicle; SF Examiner