The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) issued a statement regarding the attack that took place at the Santa Maria Italian Catholic Church in the Sarıyer district of İstanbul on January 28, where one person died.
The party mentioned previous attacks on places of worship, cemeteries, and schools in previous years, highlighting that the real perpetrators of such attacks were not punished. The party stated that the cause of the recent attack was the discriminatory policies of the government.
The statement released by the Co-Spokespersons of the People and Beliefs Commission of the DEM Party, Yüksel Mutlu and Mahfuz Güleryüz, is as follows:
"We strongly condemn the armed attack that took place during the Sunday mass at the Saint Maria Italian Catholic Church in Sarıyer, İstanbul. The government's racist, divisive, and discriminatory policy has led to polarization and division among peoples and beliefs. The real perpetrators of previous attacks on places of worship, cemeteries, and schools have not been punished. It is evident that the violence of the attacks has increased due to policies of impunity. The attack on the church is also a result of this hate politics and discourse.
As the DEM Party, we will continue our struggle for different beliefs and peoples living in this region to coexist on the basis of equal citizenship, against pressures targeting them. We will also follow up on the incident to find the real perpetrators beyond those directly involved in the attack.
We extend our condolences to the family of the citizen who lost their life, the congregation of the Saint Maria Catholic Church, and the entire Christian community."
ISIS claims Saint Mary Church attack on Sunday
The attack on Sunday (January 28) in which the citizen named Tuncer Cihan lost his life was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The organization stated that the attack was carried out in response to the call of ISIS leaders to target Jews and Christians everywhere. (TY/PE)