One flag – one state

GfbV- Austria protests against racist statements of the Turkish Prime Minister

PRESS RELEASE of the GfbV-Austria, Vienna 5.11.2008

The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) protests most strongly against the

statement of the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep T. Erdogan, on 4th November

2008 (at the press conference for the visit of the Lebanese Prime Minister,

Fuad Siniora), that Turkey consists of one nation, one flag and one land and

that anyone who is not in agreement with this should leave the country. This

racist attack ignores the existence of many ethnic groups in Turkey and

stirs up resentment between the groups. The Prime Minister continued with

his answer to the question what he thought of a Turk shooting last Sunday,

3rd November 2008, onto Kurdish demonstrators: It was that the patience of

the citizens had a limit and that if necessary they would be forced to

resort to such means.

Considering the most recent disturbances in several Turkish towns (among

them in Trabzon), where excited Turkish nationalists suddenly banded

together and wanted to lynch Kurdish fellow-citizens in the street, it must

be feared that the statement of the Prime Minister will stir up feeling even

more and that the Kurds will be “fair game”. In these racist attacks Kurds

who had been threatened were arrested for disturbing the peace and the

criminals were not prosecuted, although their attacks have been documented

with photos and video recordings.

Several Turkish politicians and high-ranking officials have already

defended attacks of this nature and the Prime Minister has taken the same

line, so it is to be feared that the nationalist elements will be encouraged

to carry out further attacks and the situation could escalate.

Constitutional legality requires properly trained organs (first and foremost

independent courts of justice) to deal adequately with infringements of law.

In a democratic system the causing of danger to individual persons or groups

by civilians is a punishable act. With his statements the Turkish Prime

Minister, Recep T. Erdogan, is setting himself up against all rule of law.

The Society for Threatened Peoples – Austria calls on the Turkish government

to recognize the ethnic, religious and cultural groups living in Turkey and

to prosecute all attacks on these or any groups. The GfbV

also calls on Prime Minister Recep T. Erdogan to withdraw his discriminating

and racist statements and to apologize to the Kurds and the other ethnic

groups in Turkey.