A group of young ethnic Turks were playing music loudly on Tuesday in front of a building primarily populated by ethnic Kurds when Murat A., an ethnic Kurd, got into a car and drove it into the group of Turks. The incident resulted in two deaths and six injuries. Murat A. was then taken into custody.
These developments have raised tension in the Aegean coastal town, pushing the gendarmerie and police forces to step up security and control entry and exit points to the town.

Spurts of violence resulted in houses and shops belonging to Kurds being attacked and set on fire and subsequently extinguished by the fire department. A mob then marched through the town, shouting slogans including “We don’t want Kurds here” and “Kurds out.” After the incident Murat A. and 10 others were sent to the courthouse. Family members addressed journalists outside the courthouse and said: “We want peace. We are deeply sad about the events. The events were sparked by beer.”

Attacks continued on Wednesday, with the gendarmerie detaining 48 people. Nine of those detained were released on Friday while the rest are still being interrogated by the gendarmerie. Ethnic Kurdish residents remain uneasy about setting foot outside of their homes.

A 6,000-strong crowd had marched through the town center on Thursday and chanted slogans in protest of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist organization. “Altınova is ours. and it will stay our town forever” and “Martyrs never die,” shouted the protestors. Altınova Mayor Mehmet Ali Akçal addressed the protesters and said that anyone who commits murder will be punished by the state. “I want all of you to be patient and tolerant.” The angry group dispersed following the mayor’s speech.

A separate group incinerated a car belonging to a relative of Murat A. This group was also detained and sent to court for arraignment.

Murat A., while being taken to court from the police station, said he regretted running over the two locals and added, “I was not aware of what I was doing.”

DTP delegation not allowed in Altınova

The Democratic Society Party (DTP) on Thursday sent a delegation including party co-chairperson Emina Ayna to Altınova on a fact-finding mission; however, security forces denied it entry, citing security reasons. The security forces told the delegation that tension in Altınova had risen after the two Turks were murdered. Any visit by DTP officials could spark a reaction from locals, the gendarmerie fears, and thus continues to control all entry and exit points with barricades.

Altınova residents want peace in town

Levent Şen, a resident of Altınova, spoke with Today’s Zaman and said he did not approve of what had happened in his town, adding that the tension escalated after adults joined a fight involving youngsters. “The fight among the youngsters should have been kept among them, but unfortunately it spread. We have not seen anything like this in 30 years. We lived together as brothers and sisters. We could not even enjoy Eid al-Fitr due to these events,” he said.

Farmer Hüseyin Ateş noted that it was wrong to stereotype all people from eastern Anatolia as bad and added that only a few town residents view Kurds unfavorably.

Mayor Akçal called on residents to remain peaceful and said: “The murderer will be punished. Reactions to this event stem from the loss of two young people, and I wish they had not died. Residents from eastern Anatolia have been living here in peace for the last 30 years.”

DTP İstanbul deputy Sebahat Tuncel emphasized that Turks and Kurds have for long lived together in peace and warned that tension among a small group of individuals has reached a level that may bring about more widespread tension between Turks and Kurds. Tuncel said she hopes tension dissipates as soon as possible “because Kurds living here will no longer be able to live here if these events continue.”

Todays Zaman