HDP under attack from all sides in Turkey
Turkey's Constitutional Court has accepted an indictment seeking a ban on the left-wing, pro-Kurdish HDP party, opening the way for a case to close it down. And just last Thursday the party was rocked by an attack on its offices in Izmir in which employee Deniz Poyraz was shot and killed by an ultra-nationalist. A board meeting with 40 people at the same location had been cancelled shortly beforehand.
Shocking apathy
The rest of the Turkish opposition remains impassive, the anti-government new website Gazete Duvar complains:
“Once again, it seems that the CHP and the IYIP are not inclined to use this heinous murder as political leverage. Instead, in line with the much 'softer' case of the unconstitutional Ramadan alcohol ban imposed under the pretext of the pandemic, they're taking a 'we just played the role of politicians so nicely, what's all the fuss?' stance. ... This apathetic attitude on the part of the opposition, which calls itself 'democratic', is probably prompted by the fear that the people will be driven onto the streets, giving the government the excuse to declare a state of emergency and postpone the election. ... Not a sound is heard from this opposition, it all comes to nothing.”
An attack on social peace
The timing of this murder is no coincidence, the pro-government daily Sabah purports:
“We know very well that behind such provocations there are always organised forces aiming to inflame social sensitivities. It's no secret that some circles aim to provoke social events with ethnic divisions. ... Given the success the state has achieved in the last five years, terrorists and terrorist groups no longer achieve their goal of creating chaos with such attacks. ... Giving lovers of terror who want to turn the people against each other what they want would be tantamount to aiding and abetting terrorism.”