JINHA

NEWS CENTER – Since Sunday night, racists have been staging nightly attacks on the left Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and on Kurds across Turkey. Racists killed a young man for speaking Kurdish and looted and burned HDP buildings in dozens of provinces.

On Sunday night, a group of racists stabbed 21-year-old Sedat Akbaş as he waited for a bus in Istanbul’s Kağıthane neighborhood. The attackers told police that they killed Sedat because he spoke Kurdish. Sedat, who had migrated to the city from the Kurdish province of Batman three months ago in search of work, left behind one daughter and a pregnant wife.

In the Turkish capital of Ankara, fascists formed a convoy to “curse terror.” The convoy headed into the Zafer neighborhood, where most residents are Kurdish agricultural workers. The group lit homes and vehicles on fire. Police arrived around midnight, but the attackers fled into the side streets. In Erzurum province, a group of around 100 racists attacked Kurdish construction workers at their worksite with stones, batons and machetes. Police arrived at the scene late.
Fascists launched major attacks on HDP buildings in the provinces of Istanbul, Bursa, Tekirdağ, Antalya, Balıkesir, Isparta, Mersin and Ankara over the last two days. Attacks intensified last night, with a group of around 400 racists stoning and then burning the HDP building in the Tekirdağ province. Racists also burned a HDP building in Mersin province’s Erdemli district while police and firefighters stood by.

In the Aegean province of Izmir, racists attacked three HDP buildings one after another. In the province’s Dikili district, racists looted the HDP building while police stood by outside. In the Anatolian city of Niğde, nationalist political parties including the MHP, BBP, CHP and Vatan Party called a “Respect for Martyrs” march for fallen Turkish soldiers and police. The march turned into an attack on the local HDP building. Police intervened nearly two hours later, but aimed tear gas at the HDP building itself. Meanwhile in Ankara, racists looted the Keçiören HDP building.

In the Kayseri province, around 1000 racists converged on buses with destinations in Kurdistan. The group, waving Turkish flags, stoned the buses. Two police officers followed the group without intervening.

(gc/mg/ekip/cm)