ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey’s main opposition party leader was attacked in Ankara on Sunday when he attended a funeral service for four soldiers recently killed in clashes with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“Kick out PKK parties!” chanted an angry crowd that mobbed Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), in video captured by DHA.
Security personnel got Kilicdaroglu out of the mob and police escorted him to a safe house. Turkish media reported people were seen throwing stones at the house. There are no reports he was injured in the incident.
Sezai Temelli and Pervin Buldan, co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), condemned the attack, accusing the ruling AKP-MHP coalition of “polarizing society and creating tensions”.
“We believe that democratic politics will overcome the problems created by the current environment,” they said in a joint statement.
AKP spokesperson Omer Celik took to social media to condemn the attack, insisting the party rejects violence.
“We condemn all types of violent acts. We wish Mr. Kilicaroglu wellness. The responsible individuals will be revealed. No one has the right to trump our laws,” Celik vowed.
Political tensions in Turkey are high after March 31 municipal elections that saw the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lose the key cities of Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. AKP has requested a rerun of the vote in Istanbul after electoral authorities handed the win to CHP’s Ekrem Imamoglu.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused CHP and another opposition party, IYI (Good Party), of “surrendering” to terror groups – namely PKK and FETO, the organization of Fetullah Gulen who Ankara accuses of masterminding a July 2016 coup attempt.
Turkey’s Defence Ministry announced on Saturday morning the deaths of four soldiers killed in operations in the Cukurca district of Turkey's eastern Hakkari province that sits in the triangle where Turkey, Iran, and Iraq meet. The PKK is active in the area.
Last updated 6.24 p.m.
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