Police resort to tear gas as Kurds protest on both sides of Turkish-Syrian border

NUSAYBİN – Doğan News Agency

An armored vehicle drives in front of Kurdish protesters demonstrating on the Turkish side of the border, as Syrian Kurds gather on the other side of the border, on Oct. 20. AFP photo

Tension erupted on Oct. 20 during a protest on both sides of the Turkish-Syrian border near Mardin’s Nusaybin district, organized by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) to denounce Turkey’s decision to build a wall along the boundary line.
 
Several hundreds, including BDP Mardin deputy Erol Dora and other local party officials, gathered in Nusaybin to walk to the border, which lies only a few kilometers from the town center. Police, however, did not allow the demonstration, resorting to water cannon and tear gas to disperse the protesters as they approached the border.
 
Around 1,000 Syrian Kurds, who had simultaneously gathered at Qamishli, right across the border from Nusaybin, protested against the intervention of the Turkish police.  
 
Two weeks ago, the Turkish military started to build a wall alongside the Nusaybin district to prevent illegal crossings and smugglers. 
 
Turkey had also previously announced the construction of a 2.5-kilometer-long wall along the Cilvegözü border gate with Syria to prevent smuggling activities.