Feridun Dörtler, a witness to the 6-7 September 1955 pogrom in Istanbul, has claimed that the attacks on non-Muslims were carried out with state backing and that the authorities deliberately failed to intervene. “The main responsibility lies with the political leadership of the time,” he said in an interview with Mezopotamya Agency’s Yeşim Tükel on Friday.
The pogrom, which occurred on 6-7 September 1955, targeted Istanbul’s non-Muslim communities, particularly Greeks, Armenians and Jews, and resulted in widespread violence and destruction. Homes, businesses, schools, churches and cemeteries were looted and destroyed. At least 15 people were killed, and many more were injured or sexually assaulted, according to various reports. Dörtler, who witnessed the events from his shop in Beyoğlu, described the attacks as orchestrated, with attackers using store signs to identify non-Muslim-owned businesses.
Dörtler recounted how, following a false report that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s house in Thessaloniki had been bombed by Greeks, crowds gathered and began a coordinated rampage against minority communities. “People who did not belong in Istanbul appeared, carrying clubs, destroying shops and throwing items into the street,” he said, adding that no police intervened, despite the obvious violence. “How could three men roam the streets with clubs, and the police not intervene?” he asked, asserting that the violence was state-organised.
The pogrom was part of a broader pattern of state-led discrimination against non-Muslims in Turkey, Dörtler explained, referencing the Wealth Tax of 1942, which had already forced many Greeks, Armenians and Jews to emigrate. He argued that such policies were aimed at “Turkifying” property and capital, pointing to statements made by then-Prime Minister Şükrü Saracoğlu, who described the Wealth Tax as a revolutionary law to “eliminate foreign dominance in the market”.
Reflecting on the pogrom, Dörtler emphasised that minorities and Turks had once lived peacefully together. “Have you ever had Greek, Armenian, Levantine, Jewish neighbours?” he asked. “We still keep in touch with our friends in Greece, Italy and Israel.” Highlighting the personal bonds that persisted despite the violence, he said, “My daughter’s friend Clio still calls me ‘Feridun dad’, which is a source of pride for me.”
Meanwhile, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party in Turkey has called for a reckoning with the 6-7 September 1955 pogrom, urging that the perpetrators be brought to light and victims compensated for their losses.
The party drew parallels between the historical event and recent xenophobic incidents, emphasising the need to confront this history to establish peace and equal citizenship. They stressed that acknowledging this dark chapter is crucial not only for remembering the past but also for ensuring a just future for all of Turkey’s diverse communities.
