An attempted lynch mob attack against the leader of Turkey’s secularist main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was encouraged by the Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu; daily Güneş provoked and shady people of the government party AKP were brought to the village and organised the attack.
BOLD – After 4 Turkish soldiers were killed in the South-eastern part of the country, Daily Güneş wrote a headline stating, “Are you happy now Ekrem?” (The new elected mayor of Istanbul from CHP).
The headline was published on the same day as Ekrem İmamoğlu’s rally in İstanbul. On the same day, the opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was attacked at a soldier’s funeral in Ankara.
During his election campaigns, Ekrem İmamoğlu attended a debate on a TV program with the editor-in-chief of daily Güneş Turgay Güler and gave him a hard time on live TV.
Turgay Güler was criticised harshly by a pro-AKP journalist afterwards due to his poor performance at the TV debate. It was even argued that İmamoğlu’s support was increased 2 points after the TV debate.
After these critics, Turgay Güler published an article targeting Ekrem İmamoğlu.
After the headline of daily Güneş, people reacted to Güler on social media stating that if Ekrem İmamoğlu was attacked during his rally in Maltepe, daily Güneş would have been responsible. Security measures were enhanced to prevent such an attack against İmamoğlu in İstanbul. However, an attack was organised in Ankara instead.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was attacked during the funeral of soldier Yener Kırıkçı who was killed in Hakkari by the PKK terrorists.
Kılıçdaroğlu was hit several times and he sought refuge in a house in the village. However, the crowd circled the house chanting “burn it down”. Security measures were visibly insufficient to protect the opposition leader. The crowd was allowed to circle the house the opposition leader was in. After an hour of tension, Kılıçdaroğlu was picked up from the house in an armoured vehicle.
THE OTHER ARCHITECT BEHIND THE ATTACK IS SÜLEYMAN SOYLU
The first sign of organised attacks against opposition party CHP’s deputies at soldiers’ funerals were sent by the Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu. Süleyman Soylu said that he ordered the following to local governors on 28th June 2018:
“I sent my order to local governors not to allow CHP local representatives to attend soldiers’ funerals. That is it! They have only one address to visit and we will direct them there. Members of the PKK have funerals as well. They will have a seat at these funerals. If they cooperate at the elections, they should be together at the funerals as well.”
THE ATTACK WAS ORGANISED BY AGENT PROVACATEURS FROM OUTSIDE OF THE VILLAGE
Villagers’ statements reveal the organised nature of the attack. Following the AKP’s Minister and pro-AKP media’s lead, the controversial ‘street militia’ of the government played its role. It was argued that the AKP was planning such provocative attacks by militia groups like SADAT or Osmanlı Ocakları (Ottoman Houses). Villagers said they did not know people who carried out the attack and argued it was organised by people who came from outside of the village to attend the funeral.
The villagers commented on the attack against Kılıçdaroğlu: “Perpetrators are not from this village; they are all strangers.”
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HULUSİ AKAR ADDRESSED THE PERP ETRATORS: “DEAR FRIENDS”
While the crowds were circling the house chanting “burn it down”, the Defence Minister Hulusi Akar addressed the attackers as “Dear friends” and added that “You showed your reaction and gave a message” finishing his speech thanking the crowd. Akar defined the attempted lynch mob as a ‘reaction’ and a ‘message’ to the opposition.
AKP’S JOURNEY FROM BEING A TARGET AT SOLDIERS’ FUNERALS TO MASTER MINDING ATTACKS
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) representatives were being targeted by ultra-nationalist people at the soldiers’ funerals in the early 2000. Soldiers were refusing standing next to AKP representatives at the funerals and sometimes denying their attendance to funerals.
The table has turned and the AKP Ministers point to the opposition party as a target for soldiers’ funerals and pro-AKP media outlets encourage such acts.