| Place, Country | Xanthi, Greece |
| Year | 2023 |
| Affected minority | Turkish community in Western Thrace |
| Perpetrator | French national |
| Type of case | Hate crime |
| Kind of act | Vandalism |
| Media | n/a |
| Reactions | The public authorities reacted adequately. Civil society organisations representing the Turkish community in Western Thrace condemned the attack |
Brief description:
On June 15th 2023, a 64-years old French citizen attached the mosque in Ilıca/Thermes village in Mustafçova/Miki Municipality of Iskeçe/Xanthi province. The attacker entered the mosque in the Kaplıcalar locality, removed the curtain of the pulpit, wrapped it around his head, smashed the Qur'an in the mosque and threw it on the ground. According to the information received from Hasan Nazir, the former Director of Ilıca District, who was the first to witness the incident, this person was detained by the police and taken to Şahin/Echinos Police Station.
At the hearing held on 4 July 2023, the perpetrator was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 500 euros. The execution of the sentence was postponed for three years.
More information on the case:
https://gundemgazetesi.com/detayh.php?id=16570
https://www.milletnews.com/western-thrace/ugly-attack-on-mosque-and-quran-in-western-thrace
Cover photo:
https://www.milletnews.com/western-thrace/ugly-attack-on-mosque-and-quran-in-western-thrace
.png "Discrimination of the Muslim Turkish Community by Greece, furthermore unabling their right of auonomy in internal religious affairs")
