On 6 and 7 September 1955, mobs attacked homes and businesses belonging to Istanbul's Greek minority, as well as Armenians and Jews, leaving more than a dozen dead.

The events were triggered by the fake news that a bomb attack took place against the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Rights and Beliefs Commission issued a statement to mark the anniversary of the Istanbul Pogrom. "On 6 and 7 September 1955, when the attacks took place, homes and businesses of Christian and Jewish citizens were plundered. After the pogrom, tens of thousands of citizens had to leave the country because of threats against their lives,"

The statement added: "The 6 and 7 September Pogrom is one of the darkest pages of our history. We say ‘Never again’ and ask to confront this painful history. However, the Pogrom has not been officially condemned and no steps have been taken for compensation or apology. This massacre against the ancient peoples of this region should be faced."

According to the press of the time, 11 people died in the riots. According to Greek sources, 15 people lost their lives.  Officially, 30 people were injured; unofficial numbers amount to 300. The number of raped women is estimated to be above 200.

4,214 houses, 1,004 offices, 73 churches, one synagogue, one monastery, 26 schools and 5,317 other places such as hotels and bars were attacked.

The property damage is estimated between 150 million and 1 billion Turkish Liras as equivalent to the value of those days. The Democratic Party government paid about 60 million Turkish Liras in compensation.