305 racist attacks targeted HDP across Turkey in two days

As many as 305 racist attacks were conducted against offices of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on September 7-8 across Turkey by nationalist and racist forces supported by the AKP.

As many as 305 racist attacks were conducted against offices of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on September 7-8 across Turkey by nationalist and racist forces supported by the AKP.

In line with the all-out war policy put into practice by the AKP and Turkish President Erdoğan against the Kurdish people, heavy clashes are taking place in Northern Kurdistan leading to heavy tolls, while organised attacks as part of the same policy in the western part of the country have targeted as many as 305 HDP offices in the last two days.

While police forces explicitly remained silent against the attacks and did not intervene the assailants, only one attacker was detained in relation to the attacks across Turkey, while at least 50 HDP members who were were taken under custody by security forces last night while defending the party offices against attacks.

Pointing at the HDP as the responsible side of the ongoing conflict in the country for its receiving over 13 percent of the votes and hindering the AKP from coming to the power alone, the AKP executives and primarily the Turkish president Erdoğan kept making statements provoking attacks of avenge against the party as well as the Kurdish population in the country. An organised campaign was launched against the party following the speeches of the Turkish president Erdoğan who openly said “None of these would take place if one political party could gain 400 seats in the parliament”.

Almost all the local branch offices of the party were attacked in the last two days by organised nationalist groups, while the party’s headquarters in Ankara's Çankaya district was left unusable by racists groups who entered the party building by breaking the doors and windows, and set it on fire in accompaniment of police forces.

. According to the information provided by the HDP headquarters, as many as 305 offices of the party were attacked by racists groups in the last two days.

While attacks on HDP started and 127 party offices were targeted on September 7, 178 more offices of the party were attacked during the day and night of September 8. Only one person from province of Çorum was detained in relation to the attack on the HDP quarters in Ankara.

Police forces, who did not intervene the attacks against the HDP offices in Sultanbeyli and Bağcılar districts of Istanbul either, did instead detain over 50 HDP members, including the co-chairs of both local branches.

The attacks of the last two days doubled the number of 126 attacks conducted on HDP offices during the pre-election period this year.

The party offices in Konya, Niğde, Eskişehir, Balıkesir and Kırşehir were left completely unusable after being burned down by racist groups, while many other offices were largely damaged.

HDP co-vice chair Alp Altınörs said the organised attacks were supported by the AKP and the MHP and stressed that the attacks aimed to provoke a coup in the country.