Thousands march to protest terror

ANKARA

Thousands of people took to the streets across southeastern and eastern Turkey on Sept. 14 to protest against the PKK.

The mass protests were triggered by the killing of seven civilians as a result of a PKK attack on a vehicle carrying forest workers in the Diyarbakır province on Sept. 13.

The protests were dubbed “Condemn terror, call for brotherhood.”

Non-governmental organization representatives, local governors and mayors and lawmakers attended the protests.

People carrying the Turkish flag chanted slogans against the PKK. “Turks, Kurds are brothers; separatists are rats,” some said.

“I hope that the fight against terrorism will continue until there is not a single terrorist on this land. Those who point guns to these innocent people will be punished,” Hakkari Gov. İdris Akbıyık said.

People also voiced support for families protesting against the PKK child recruitments. There is ongoing demonstrations by 24 families in Diyarbakır against the abduction of their children by the PKK.

“We live in a region which suffers from terrorism the most. I am calling on the young people deceived and kidnapped by the PKK and taken to the mountains: Come and ease the pain in your mothers’ hearts, surrender to our state. Don’t be someone’s pawn,” Sevim Bozan said, speaking on behalf of the families in Hakkari.

“The PKK is a terrorist organization that targets investments in the regions mostly populated by our Kurdish brothers, sets fire to the construction machines, burns down and destroys schools,” said İdris Yıldız, the Siirt head of the foundation of Turkish Veterans and the Martyrs’ Families.

“We will no longer send our children to the mountains, but to the school. They will be lawyers, engineers, scientists, and we will not play into the hands of the organization. We want to go to Cudi for a picnic. We want the tourists to come to the waterfall in Gabar,” said Mehmet Nuri Genc, an opinion leader in Şırnak’s İdil district.

The PKK is listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.