MHP members threaten to raid panel discussion over HDP MP's attendance

Duvar English

Officials of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have threatened to raid a panel discussion that will be attended by Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Züleyha Gülüm in the Agean province of Balıkesir's Burhaniye district.

The panel discussion will be organized within the framework of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov. 25). 

The threat was signed by Murat Kurt, the head of the MHP's Burhaniye district office, and was shared by the official Twitter account of the MHP's Havran district office.

“We are severely condemning the panel discussion to which HDPKK lawmaker Züleyha Gülüm will attend,” read the statement, accusing the HDP of having links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in a discourse that is widely adopted by the government.

“If the panel discussion is not canceled, let no one doubt that we will be at the panel discussion area together with our all district organizations, starting with the Burhaniye MHP district branch,” read the statement further.

It also called on citizens who “love their country, nation and flag” to come in front of the Reha Yurdakul Culture Center at the scheduled hour and day to protest the panel discussion. “We are expecting the Burhaniye municipality which allocated a place to this group to backtrack on its mistake,” it said.

MHP's Havran district office also threw its support behind the statement, saying they will also be in Burhaniye in protest of the panel discussion. 

The Istanbul Women's Assembly of the HDP released a statement with regards to the threatening statement, saying they will not be scared of MHP Burhaniye District Office head Murat Kurt.

“Kurt and his gang should know that threat and racism are a crime; women struggle is a right. There are women behind our deputy,” the party said in its statement.