Demirtaş says HDP will not take step back from democratic politics and peace

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Jailed former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş has said that the party will continue to emphasize democratic politics and peace despite attempts to pull it into chaos.

“Insistence on democratic politics and peace policy are principal for us. No one should expect us to take a step back. We will continue to defend our principles in every circumstance and continue to say people’s desire for a democratic solution and peace with all of our resources in a strong voice. We will demolish fascism and definitely win,” Demirtaş said in a message shared on his social media account.

Earlier this week, Demirtaş released a message of condemnation for the Sept. 27 attack that targeted a police residence in the southern Mersin province. In a tweet, Demirtaş said that he will continue to object to every kind of violence and will be persistent in democratic politics.

The HDP similarly released a statement of condemnation for the attack and recalled the resurgence of violence after the June 2015 elections which had propelled the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to victory. The party also warned against “a new wave of violence and provocations.”

In the face of these statements, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held the HDP responsible for the attack, claiming that those behind the attack had links to the “HDP or groups considered as journalists or the western countries.”

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