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.

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