In Antwerp, Belgium, the attacks that started after the bus that started touring Europe on October 9 with the slogan “Freedom for Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan” was attacked by Turkish racists in the city continue. The Kurdish shopkeepers in the Brederodestraat region of the city are targeted and their lives are in danger. In the last three days, many shops in the area have been damaged and are unusable.

With the AKP members in Brederodestraat issuing calls on social media, Ottoman Hearth, UETD and Grey Wolves members from various cities in Belgium and the Netherlands arrived in Antwerp with buses, trains and cars to attack the Kurdish shopkeepers. Behind all the attacks are the Turkish consulate officials and the European AKP organization Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD) administrators.

KURDISH SHOPKEEPERS’ SHOPS DAMAGED

After the attack on the bus, the Turkish racists attacked various Kurdish shops in the neighborhood late at night. With UETD and Turkish consulate officials making calls on social media and various other channels on Saturday, by Sunday evening Turkish racists gathered in Brederodestraat from various cities in Belgium and the Netherlands to attack the Kurdish shopkeepers. These attacks continued late into the night. Kurdish youth tried to protect the shopkeepers from these attacks and clashes broke out between the two groups. The incident continued into late night and police made some arrests, while some people were wounded. In the attacks, the Nur Kebap, Mega Market, Antwerpen Turkuevi and many other small businesses in Brederodestraat were damaged.

WHO ARE THE MASKED GROUPS BEHIND THE AKP ADMINISTRATORS?

A.C. was a witness to the incidents of Sunday evening and spoke to the ANF.

“These groups were roaming the streets in the area during the day on Sunday. They occasionally threatened the shopkeepers. The police told the Kurdish shopkeepers that they can’t ensure their safety and that the shops should be closed in precaution. So the youth went to protect the shopkeepers. By the evening, hundreds gathered under the lead of Turkish consulate officials and Antwerp UETD administrators and attacked the Kurdish shopkeepers. So we went on the defensive. Groups with masks over their faces and caps on their heads attacked us with iron sticks, knives, axes and flammable materials. The police retreated. These groups chanted “Allahu Aqbar” and “Down with the PKK” as they attacked us.

And when we resisted, clashes broke out. They couldn’t achieve their goals as we resisted. But what they wanted to do was to lynch us. And the Belgian police almost cleared the way for them. The police attacked us, rather than restrain them. Even though we were attacked, the police took no precautions.”

ANTWERP OR YOZGAT?

Brederodestraat, to the south of Antwerp, is a neighborhood with a dense population from Turkey. There are many groups in the area, including Kurds and Turks, but it’s known as the Turkish neighborhood in the city. People think, “This place belongs to the Turks, nobody can enter without their permission”. The Antwerp police think this way too, they voice this opinion when they speak with representatives from Kurdish institutions. Kurdish politicians don’t approve of this, and criticize the Belgian police’s approach. They say this is still part of Belgium, and they want to travel freely here as in anywhere else, and ask: “Is this Antwerp, or Yozgat?” citing an infamously conservative and nationalistic city in Turkey.

“THE AKP HAS BEEN PLANNING ATTACKS FOR DAYS”

NAV-BEL Board Member and Foreign Relations Manager Salih Uçar protested the incidents and criticized the insufficient precautions taken by the police. Uçar said: “Nobody can just up and say ‘This is our neighborhood and nobody can enter’. This is not Yozgat or Kayseri. The biggest responsibility here lies with the Belgian police. They haven’t taken the necessary precautions. They have almost invited these racists attacks. These people have been organizing via social media for several days. Everything is out in the open, the Turkish consulate officials and UETD administrators are leading them. They take masked groups behind them and make them attack Kurds. The police should identify and expose these people at once. But the police turn a blind eye to the attacks to stay in the favor of the AKP and the Turkish state. That is unacceptable.”

Uçar stated that the AKP is behind the attacks and added: “These attacks can’t be explained with the Turks who live in this city. We will not blame a whole community. The AKP is behind this. This is a planned and deliberate attack. Especially following the Belgian court’s verdict that ‘PKK is not a terrorist organization’, AKP and their institutions are looking for provocations. This attack is part of this, and it is planned.”

Meanwhile, the attacks in Antwerp have settled down since last night, while tensions remain high. The Mayor’s office and the police issued a joint statement and a ban on demonstrations for a week in the city.