 Despite the level of violence the Turks had wrought, the takeover was reported positively in the European press, praising the men for their courage and the objectives they attempted to accomplish.Nevertheless, aside from issuing a note condemning the pogroms in the city, the European powers did not act on their promises to enforce reforms in the country as future massacres of Armenians continued to take place.Contrary to Ottoman claims, the Armenians suffered from persecution and forced assimilation under Ottoman rule.