Person throws stone at opposition party bus over ‘loud noise’ not ‘politics’ in Turkey’s Trabzon

The alleged perpetrator who threw a stone at the main opposition CHP’s campaign bus asserted that the noise from the bus disturbed him and that his actions were not politically motivated.

Wednesday March 20 2024 05:46 pm

Fatih Saygın / Gazete Duvar

An individual on March 18 threw a stone at Turkey's main opposition the Republican People's Party's (CHP) campaign bus during a rally in the Ortahisar district of Trabzon province along the Black Sea coast.

No injuries were reported, but the incident caused damage to the vehicle, requiring window replacement. Despite the disruption, CHP chair Özgür Özel eventually joined the rally.

Trabzon’s authorities apprehended the alleged perpetrator, who claimed that ‘’he was disturbed by the loud noise coming from the bus and that there was no political reason for his action.’’

The individual was released following his statement.

According to the authorities, the CHP provincial administration confirmed that they did not pursue legal action against the individual, as they deemed the incident to be "unrelated to politics."

Ortahisar is currently held by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which won the region garnering a convincing 59,37% of the vote in 2019, while the CHP trailed behind with 34,09%.

The upcoming local elections are scheduled for March 31.

(English version by Wouter Massink)