Beritan Canözer 

 

ANTALYA - While attempts to attack Kurds living in Antalya continue, it is pointed out that a group went on a ‘’Kurdish hunt’’ over this, under the pretext of forest fires. Kurds living in the city said they could not leave their homes for days.

 

The nationalist, marginalizing language of the government, targeting the Kurds, created chaos in the country. Racist attacks, to which seasonal agricultural workers are frequently exposed, are experienced in almost all western provinces of Turkey. In Ankara, Afyon, and Konya, dozens of Kurds were attacked by racists who were their ‘’neighbours’’ or ‘’employers’’. In two racist attacks carried out in Konya within 10 days, eight Kurds, seven of them from the same family, were killed. Against all these, the government did not make any statement or attempt to stop the attacks.

 

Lastly, the Kurds were held responsible for the forest fires, which started in Antalya and broke out in many provinces, the cause of which is not yet known. Kurdish citizens living in the regions where the fire took place were targeted by posting provocations that the Kurds started the fire from fake accounts of unknown identity in the digital media. The houses of Kurds living in the regions where forest fires took place in Antalya were attacked, vehicles carrying the license plates of Kurdish cities were stopped, identity checks were made by provocateur groups and a ‘’Kurdish hunt’’ was started. Although the Mayor of Manavgat made a statement that this was a provocation, the continuation of the practices is an indication that ‘’Kurds are being targeted using forest fires as an excuse’’.

 

Since the forest fires began, Kurdish workers, especially those working in the tourism sector, cannot leave their homes and wander around the city alone. ‘’Unidentified’’ people who are blocking roads at certain points in the city and doing identity checks, are waiting for a Kurd to appear with sticks and sharp objects in their hands.

 

‘They use forest fires as an excuse’

 

One of the workers working in the city, who did not want to be named in terms of her safety, stated that they had been nervousness for days, that they could not leave the house, that they could not get around the city even with private vehicles, and that they had to choose the nearest market or local grocery store even when going to the market. The woman, who gave information about what happened and wanted a solution to this situation, said: ‘’We have been working in the tourism sector here for years. We have never experienced what we are experiencing right now. Our way is blocked, our identities are checked. If a Kurd comes out, she/he is threatened. Forest fires are used as an excuse. A group of racists are trying to get provocation, using this as an excuse.’’

 

‘No life safety’

 

Emphasizing that not only Kurds but also refugees are exposed to the same attacks, the woman said: ‘’Armed groups stop passers-by at midnight, especially by choosing dark streets. Law enforcement comes to all of the events, but leaves without doing anything. Not a single person among these groups has been detained so far. Only in Manavgat, after the mayor's statement, the groups partially withdrew in the city center. There is no security of life for any of the Kurds living here at the moment. We cannot leave the house. Everyone warns each other not to go out. The governor's office and the police did not make a statement on the issue, and this leads to the continuation of these groups.’’

 

‘They walk around with guns and sticks on their hands’

 

Another citizen, whose name we could not give due to security concerns, drew attention to what citizen experienced in the audio recording citizen sent to our agency. Mentioning that Kurdish families were threatened, the citizen said: ‘’They come to our houses and tell us to get out of here. I have some student friends that I met, they were also threatened in the same way. They are walking around with guns and sticks on their hands, keeping watch on the corners with rhetoric such as ‘Get out, we will kill you, they cannot even take your funeral from here, you are a traitor, we do not want Kurds, you burned this place.’ We cannot leave our homes. Authorities need to do something about this now. On the first day of the fire, we were there for the extinguishing works, but after a few hours, people we did not know started to come. Everyone present was asked questions such as ‘Who are you? Where are you from?’. They immediately began to insult those who said a province from the east. We moved away from there with a few people to avoid any incidents. Later, when the fire spread, we had to leave the house. On the other day, we could not go to the area where the fire took place, because village and district roads were being held and identity checks were being made.’’

 

‘We cannot leave our house’

 

Citizen, expressing that they wanted to intervene to the fire but could not leave the house, said: ‘’They ask ‘Where are the Kurds living here? Why are they not helping?’ This is how they target us on social media, but no one knows that even a single Kurd cannot leave their home. There are those who are Kurds and support there, but when it is understood that they are Kurds, provocative rhetoric and insults begin. We were exposed to it on the first day, and then we could not go again. No one is calling for an end to these attacks. No one asks, ‘’Who are these people with sticks? What is their purpose?’’ Citizen expressed that worried for what happened in Konya will happen again.