Nationalist Violence Spreads

Seven activists of northwestern town of Sakarya Youth Association were Tuesday attacked by a group of 30 when they made a public declaration to “end provocations”, protesting against rising nationalist violence across the country.

The activists particularly referred to attempted lynching of the members of TAYAD (Association of Solidarity of the Families of the Imprisoned and the Convicts) in northern town of Trabzon last week.

Five members of TAYAD, who distributed leaflets to protest against maximum security prisons, hardly survived a mob lynch when yet unidentified persons provoked the people against the activists, charging them with “burning the national flag”. City police forces hardly rescued the activists from the hands of the enraged mob in an armored carrier.

Tension remains in Trabzon

Meanwhile, tension remains in Trabzon, the biggest Black Sea port city. Albeit five activists have been arrested under charges of “instigating disturbances”, TAYAD members have continued protest on Monday, yet facing a second lynch attempt raged with the slogans of ‘Trabzon is Turkish and will remain Turkish”. Four activists were injured.

Hüseyin Yavuzdemir, governor of Trabzon accuses the members of TAYAD with disturbing the public order. The governor also demanded that the people of Trabzon remain calm. Meanwhile, a four people investigative delegation from the Human Rights Commission of the Grand National Assembly was sent to Trabzon. The delegation interviewed the jailed TAYAD members and issued a statement declaring that “Distributing pamphlets is a democratic right”.

Nevertehless, the lynching attempts were cherished by some columnists of Trabzon local media, who preached that “Taking lives are sacred and justified in certain cases”.

Petition of the intellectuals

A group of academics, artists, NGO leaders, intellectuals and journalists have issued a joint petition to raise the public awareness against the dangers implied by brewing ultra-nationalist upsurge The petition signed by 190 people cautioned that the positive atmosphere of democratization and reform is endangered by the rise of violent nationalism.

The petition pointed out that the recent efforts to legislate amendments to the Criminal Code would limit the civil rights of freedom of media and freedom of information. It is also stated at the petition that the public nationalism campaign inflamed after the burning of the Turkish flag by a group of minors at Mersin during the Nevroz celebrations paves the way to “mass nationalist hysteria”. (SÖ/EK/YE)