Assailants attack opposition İYİ Party's campaign booth, batter party member in western Turkey

Two assailants on Nov. 15 attacked a campaign booth of the opposition İYİ (Good) Party in the western province of İzmir's Buca district, battering one of the party members. One of the assailants has been detained while the other has fled the scene of the attack.

Tuesday November 16 2021 12:04 am

Duvar English

Two assailants on Nov. 15 attacked a campaign booth of the opposition İYİ (Good) Party in the western province of İzmir's Buca district, ANKA news agency reported.

Personnel of the party's district organization were talking with citizens to register them as new members when the physical attack happened. A person has been detained in connection with the incident.

One of the assailants, whose identity has not been determined, has fled the scene after swearing at İYİ Party members at the booth. Just a couple of minutes later, another assailant appeared, this time swearing at İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener and battering a female party member. The second assailant has been detained by the police.

İYİ Party İzmir provincial head Hüsmen Kırkpınar later gave an interview to ANKA news agency saying: “They are trying to create a climate of fear and hoping for help from it. But they will not be able to succeed.”

“In the evening hours, firstly one person came to the booth and said unmentionable swearwords against our leader Meral Akşener. He then fled. Just a couple of minutes later, another person came in the same way, uttered swears and kicked the booth. He even twisted the arm of one of our women members there. Afterwards, civilian [police] teams intervened and detained this person. The first person fled the scene; it's just the second person who has been detained,” he said.

“I think that those who have caused all of these [incidents] should be embarrassed.”

Amid a visible fall in the support level of the coalition, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has recently increased his targeting of the opposition and Akşener.

Earlier this year, Erdoğan even praised a pro-government group's attack attempt against Akşener, saying that she was taught a lesson and more will follow.