2023-10-30 12:07:05
Activists blocked the celebration of the founding of the Turkish embassy. The hosts and an LVT officer responded violently to the protest.
Vienna (OTS) – On Sunday evening, activists blocked a concert in Vienna’s Palais Ehrbar. The Turkish Embassy invited people to the concert to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their republic. The event was promoted as a multicultural and multireligious festival. The activists’ disruptive action broke with this Turkish state narrative.
„It is a blatant lie when Turkey celebrates itself as a country of diversity. The founding of the state of Türkiye was extremely violent. In the course of becoming a nation, it tried to wipe out all ethnic and religious minorities through genocides, expulsions and massacres. Those who remained were subjected to a brutal Turkishization policy
“, activist Berfin A. classifies the historical context of the Turkish Republic. And even today there is blood on Turkey’s hands: “We cannot leave such an event uncommented while Turkey is waging war once morest Kurds in Rojava using all means available or supporting Azerbaijan in driving the Armenian population out of Artsakh
“, so Berfin A.
The peaceful protest did not go without reaction. Video footage shows embassy staff punching and kicking the blockade. In support of the Turkish nationalists, an officer from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, dressed in civilian clothing, threatened surrounding activists with a firearm. One activist had to be treated in an ambulance as a result of the kicks. “The level of violence we witnessed today was shocking. However, she didn’t surprise us. Turkish civil servants remain thugs, even if they wear suits. However, the fact that an Austrian officer pointed a gun at us shocked us. It shows how much these states protect each other. Neither Turkey nor Austria are interested in democratic contradiction,” reports one of the affected activists.
Instead of transfiguring and glorifying national narratives from Atatürk to Erdogan, the activists are calling for the end of the autocratic regime in Turkey and a democratization of the country. This also includes a critical examination of history as well as the recognition of the Armenian genocide and a political solution to the Kurdish question.
Link to the video:
Questions & Contact:
Alliance Defend Kurdistan
Contact: Mariam L.
Tel. No. 0681 81137810
Email: r4r_vienna@riseup.net
1698667774
#Vienna #Blockade #gun #threats #Türkiyes #anniversary #celebration