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Tourists who came from the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government to Çaykara in Turkey's Black Sea province of Trabzon were assaulted by a group of people after the tourists wanted to have their photographs taken with a scarf with Kurdistan written on it.
After the intervention of the gendarmerie officers, nine tourists from the 50-person group, including women and children, were detained.
The attack has been severely criticized, especially on social media. While ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) İstanbul MP Mustafa Yeneroğlu has described the assaults against tourists as "a total disaster", Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Meral Danış Beştaş has asked, "Does an attack become legitimate when the tourists are Kurdish?"
Governorship: A brief row erupted
Releasing a written statement about the incident, the Governorship of Trabzon announced that nine Kurdish tourists were detained.
In the statement of the Governorship, it was indicated that "the locals reacted against nine tourists from Iraq who wanted to have their pictures taken with a scarf with Kurdistan written on it and a brief row erupted between them."
"The incident was intervened by our law enforcement officers, our citizens were calmed and the situation was taken under control", the Governorship indicated further and announced that the Çaykara Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation against the nine detained tourists.
'They have been turned over to be deported'
Afterwards, the Trabzon Governorship has released another written statement and announced that all of the detainted have been turned over to the related units to be deported from Turkey.
'It is a total disaster'
After the assault against Kurdish tourists has been reported in the news and shared on social media, it has been criticized by several social media users, including politicians from different political parties.
Ruling AKP İstanbul MP Mustafa Yeneroğlu has posted the following message on his Twitter account:
"The attempted lynch in Trabzon is really horrible. Just as we can have our photographs taken with our crimson flag all across the world freely, there cannot be anything wrong if the Kurds coming from Northern Iraq want to have their pictures taken with their own flags. It is a total disaster for the image of our country.
"The flag/scarf unfurled there is the flag of Northern Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The people of this region naturally express their love and respect for their flag, just as we do. The attack against the KRG flag in Trabzon is as ugly as the one that targeted the Turkish flag in Erbil."
'Is the attack legitimate when it targets Kurds?'
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Meral Danış Beştaş has also said, "Not the assaulters, the ones who made a lynch attempt are detained, but the tourists coming from the Federal Kurdistan Region. Why? Does the attack become legitimate when the tourists are Kurdish?"
'Turkey recognizes Kurdistan Regional Government'
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu has stated, "According to the Constitution of Iraq, the defined name of the north is "Kurdistan Regional Government" and its symbols is the flag of Kurdistan that you see in the picture. Our state recognizes Kurdistan regional government. On what legal grounds do you deport them?"
'Why were the tourists detained?'
Prof. Adem Sözüer has criticized the incident in following words: "The duty of the state is to ensure the life safety of tourists and launch the necessary investigations against the attacks targeting them. What crime did the tourists commit to be detained? In a country where lynches are condoned, neither tourists nor the citizens of the country are safe." (RT/EKN/DB/SD)
