Turkish government says it didn't destroy Anzac monument

  • 18/06/2017

The Turkish government has responded to claims it deliberately damaged a monument on the Gallipolli Peninsula dedicated to fallen Anzac troops.

The 1985 memorial used to bear words attributed to the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, which welcomed the Anzacs.

But a photo taken on Saturday showed the Ataturk Memorial missing the inscription that had been carved into the stone.

It caused concerns on social media the wording would be changed to represent the Anzacs as modern-day Crusaders out to defeat Muslims.

The Turkish government organisation that looks after the monument on Sunday released a statement saying history was not being destroyed or rewritten, and that it was simply undergoing repair work.

Prime Minister Bill English says he has the same understanding.

Newshub.