Tension arose in Diyarbakır's Lice district after the arrival of Turkish Army officials to a school intended to teach classes in Kurdish.
Following a series of clashes, villagers reportedly blocked the entry of their village, soldiers on the other hand responded to the blocking with the blocking of all nearby roads. Villagers, later on, assembled at the entrance of the village.
Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Lice Co-Chair Harun Erkuş said that soldiers attempted to enter Lice’s Kerwas (Yalaza) village with armored vehicles - an attempted that was confronted by villagers nearby a public school. A clash took place in the meantime.
Firat News Agency (ANF) reported that the incident broke out as officials from governor's office and adminstrative authorities arrived to one of the village intended to hold classes in Kurdish with the escorting of Turkish Armed Forces.
Roads blocked
Harun Erkuş asserted that roads around Diyarbakır province area have been blocked by TOMAs and other armored vehicles.
He also added that the tension spread to Lice’ villages and some other neighboring districts.
Erkuş reminded the peace process, saying that the main motivation of the school was to make Kurdish as the first education language.
“One of Kurdish people's demands is to have education in mother tongue. Why are there attacks against mother tongue at a period that we are so close to a resolution? It is not possible to understand this intolerence.”
Education in Kurdish
Kürdi-Der Diyarbakır Branch Chair Selahattin Gültekin also commented that he heard the incident through the media, adding that the aformentioned school in Lice was not mentioned within a pilot program by NGOs previously.
“We have mentioned of 3 schools in Diyarbakır, Cizre and Yüksekova. We don't know about that school in Lice.”
Yesterday, several NGOs assembled in Diyarbakır district to urge for a one-week long school boycott bring awareness to the education in mother tongue in the school-start. They also announced 3 schools where education will be held in Kurdish. (YY/BM)
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