The ongoing racist attacks in Turkey
5/25/2006 KurdishMedia.com - By Brahim-Xelil Siruci
Last month there was another fight amongst the students at Istanbul Technical University (ITÜ). Actually, it wasn’t a fight, it was a case of bashing of a Kurdish student by Turkish racists but the media referred to the incident as “a fight.” Normally the Turkish media boycotts cases involving the bashing of Kurds but this one was so brutal and uncivilised that even the Turkish media could ignore it. In other words, attacks against Kurdish students are common practice but they often remain unreported in the media.
Every year students conduct various activities at the beginning of spring. Kurdish students play a big part in them. Music, dancing, theatre and other activities are organised by them. Turkish racists get very annoyed by these cultural activities organised by the Kurds.
The Kurdish students and their guests listen to music, dance, play games, watch plays and eat together. In other words they do not act in any way against the interests of the Turkish people. Indeed many of our Turkish colleagues join in and enjoy themselves. Students belonging to racist organisations, however, do not like this. They report these activities to their superiors and watch the participants from the distance. When the students begin to disperse a group of racists follow an individual. They always make sure there are at least three or four of them before they attack one Kurdish individual. In this particular incident that was actually caught on camera and televised, there were about twenty racists bashing one Kurdish student. What is strange (not to us Kurdish students of course), during such incidents the police do not intervene. Just reverse the picture and imagine about twenty Kurds were bashing a Turk, then imagine what the Turkish police would do and how the media would react! (Also imagine Jews attacked by German gangs or a Turks attacked by a European gang and then imagine the reaction by the Turkish and the world media: Translator).
There is a big student accommodation building in Istanbul that is under the control of the racists. One of the common practices of the management is this: When students belonging to a racist group bash someone nothing happens, however, if a student, rightly or wrongly, involves in a fight with someone from their group he is immediately kicked out. The Head Office is very well aware of this but does not do anything to stop it.
There are students from Arab countries, Central Asian countries, Albania, Russia, Georgia and Africa. They use their mother tongue without any problems resulting from it; however, if someone from the racists hears a Kurd speaking in his mother tongue, you can be sure the Kurd will pay a high price for speaking Kurdish. They will watch him and one night 15, 20 or God knows how many will attack him in a dark corner and beat the hell out of him. Many victims have had broken bones or lost a number of teeth as a result of such brutal acts.
Last March, when Turkish police accused a 13 year old Kurdish boy in the town of Marsin of throwing the Turkish flag on the ground during the Kurdish Newroz celebration, the “avenging” atrocities of the fascists also reached this student accommodation building in Istanbul. Students belonging to racist groups toured the premises and demanded that Kurdish students have a Turkish flag displayed in their rooms. There are countless similar examples of intimidation.
Of course not all student centres in Turkey are like the one I am writing about but such actions against the Kurds who identify themselves as Kurdish and speak their language are every day practice s in Turkish cities. Luckily Kurdish students stick together and are usually supportive of each other. Otherwise every one of us may have been beaten up under the eyes of the police just like the young man who was soaked in his own blood.
Yes as Kurds we are interested to live side by side with our Turkish neighbours as brothers and sisters but what sort of brotherhood and sisterhood can one talk about with such activities being a part of every day life in Turkey?
This article by Brahim-Xelil Siruci was published in http://www.netkurd.com. Translation into English by Shahin B. Sorekli.
Note by the translator: Another racist act by Turkish racist groups, that some claim are protected by Turkish secret service, is the hacking of Kurdish sites. When they do this a large Turkish flag with a picture of Mustafa Kamal Ataturk and the slogan: VATAN SAHIPSIZ DEGILDIR that means (in Turkish) “The Homeland is not without guards.” appears when the hacked site opens. The latest victim was the site of RADIO NAWA that is not even in Turkey. It is a new station in southern Kurdistan (Iraqi Kurdistan), an independent modern radio station that does not belong to any Kurdish organisation. It broadcasts music, mainly Kurdish but includes Turkish, Arabic and Farsi songs, objective reports and news just like any independent broadcaster.
i thought thing's got better in Turkey 
DOWN WITH OUR ENEMIES..
