Turkey
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) office in the southeastern Urfa province's Birecik district on May 8, 2024. Photo: DEM Party Urfa branch
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Unknown assailants targeted a pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) office in the southeastern Urfa province, no casualties were reported.
At around 3:00 am on Wednesday, a gunman attacked the office of DEM party in Urfa’s Birecik district, the Urfa governor’s office said in a statement, adding that investigations are underway into the matter.
“Efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” the statement said.
The Urfa branch of the pro-Kurdish party said on X that the office was hit by “tens of bullets,” resulting in material damage.
Mezopotamya Agency, a pro-Kurdish outlet, reported that DEM party supporters staged a protest in front of the party office in condemnation of the attack.
DEM Party officials in Birecik blamed Mehmet Begit, the newly elected mayor of the district, who recently resigned from the ranks of the pro-Kurdish party.
Begit, who was elected as the mayor of Birecik, was the DEM Party’s candidate in the country’s local elections in March. He resigned from the party in late April citing dissatisfaction with the party allegedly disrespecting the country’s symbols like the Turkish flag and the national anthem, while the party accused him of planning to sell municipal properties for personal gain.
“The gang-like mentality that cannot stomach our democratic resistance and struggle against betrayal and usurpation has fired bullets at the hard work and struggle of the people,” Hasan Yildiz, the Birecik co-chair of DEM Party was cited by Mezopotamya Agency as saying at the protest.
Turkey held its local elections on March 31, in which the DEM Party won the race for the municipal office in Birecik and six other districts of Urfa.
DEM Party’s elected mayors were accused last month of insulting the Turkish flag and national anthem during their inauguration ceremonies. The party quickly rejected the accusations.
Last month, Turkish security forces arrested an individual in Diyarbakir’s Sur district, who was seen in a video insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the founder of modern Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk during the inauguration ceremony of the district’s co-mayors.
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