Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said anti-Armenian banners unfurled during an Istanbul rally on Feb 26 reflect the feeling of some “raving racists,” not those of the Turkish people, Today’s Zaman reported.

“These banners do not reflect the feelings of Turkey but those of a few raving racists… Necessary [legal] action has already been taken…Nobody has the right to damage the image of Turkey based on these exceptional scenes,” Erdoğan said.

A group of protesters held banners and chanted racist slogans against Armenians during the rally, which organizers said cast a shadow over the peaceful nature of the event, causing outrage among the Turkish public.

A statement released by the Turkish Interior Ministry on Wednesday said it is impossible to justify “some slogans and banners” during the rally, referring to the offensive banners. The statement added that legal proceedings have been launched to find these people and groups, adding that the Istanbul Governor's Office is working to identify these people.