HDP employee's home marked with cross, racist graffiti

The house of an HDP employee in Istanbul was on July 15 marked with a red cross and racist graffiti that read “Get out Alevi Kurd.” Sezer Öztürk filed a complaint at the police station where he was threatened with facing charges of “inciting people into hatred” for sharing the pictures of the racist attack on his social media.

Thursday July 15 2021 06:48 pm

Duvar English

The house of an employee of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) was marked with a red cross and racist graffiti that read “Get out Alevi Kurd,” Mezopotamya news agency reported.

Sezer Öztürk is employed at the HDP office in Istanbul's Esenyurt district.

Öztürk came across the marking and racist graffiti as he was about to leave his apartment flat on July 15 morning. The marks were written on the apartment's walls.

Öztürk shared the pictures of the racist marks on his social media and went to the Kıraç Police Station where he gave his testimony with regards to the hate attack.

However, at the police station, he was threatened with facing an investigation if he did not delete the pictures of the attack on his social media.

“I have spoken with the police commander who told me, 'It seems you have shared these on social media; delete them.' He further said, 'We are all brothers, but you are inciting people into enmity and hatred in this way. It would be better if you would delete them; if not we would have no option but launch a procedure against you on charges of inciting enmity and hatred,'” Öztürk said.

Öztürk said that there is a long-lasting policy of oppression against Kurds and Alevis in Turkey, adding: “We know the massacres of Seyyit Rıza, Koçgiri, Madımak, etc. These massacres are continuing. And what I went through is the continuation of this mentality.”

Topics Turkey Alevi HDP Kurdish racist attack Turkey