President Erdoğan slams HDP’s Demirtaş over Suruç massacre claims
BEIJING – Anadolu Agency
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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has slammed Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş over the latter’s claims that a deep state organization directly linked to Erdoğan conducted a suicide bombing attack that killed 32 people in the southeastern district of Suruç on July 20.Speaking to journalists after the Turkish-Chinese Business Forum in China, Erdoğan denied Demirtaş’s accusations, adding that they were vulgar statements.
“This is a statement that does not have any rhyme or reason and is vulgar. I would like to state that the presidency is such a high post that it would not fall for this impertinence and dishonor,” Erdoğan said. “I would say, ‘know your place,’ that’s it.”
A suspected ISIL suicide bomber killed 31 Turkish citizens and himself on July 20 in Suruç, the Turkish town bordering Syria across from the Kurdish-held Syrian town of Kobane.
Speaking at his party’s group meeting in parliament on July 28, Demirtaş said the Suruç massacre had been conducted by “gladio,” a deep state organization that was directly linked to the presidential palace and thus Erdoğan himself.
“Gladio organizations that are tied to the [presidential] palace are conducting dirty games. All states conduct dirty work, but this one [referring to Erdoğan’s] does not use even use the state. He uses his own special organization. Intelligence does not go to the official reports of MİT [National Intelligence Organization] but directly to him,” Demirtaş said. “It is this special gladio organization that conducted the Suruç massacre.”
“Turkey’s bright children have been slaughtered by a poor man who was placed into ISIL [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] that was working for them,” he added.
Erdoğan said Demirtaş and the HDP could not take a stance against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its terror attacks, adding that as Demirtaş’s brother was trained in PKK mountain camps, Demirtaş probably also visited these camps whenever he found the opportunity.
