Violence against Kurdish football team in Turkey highlights ongoing racism
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – At a match in the city of Bursa in northwest Turkey on Sunday, players and staff from Turkey’s largest Kurdish team, Amedspor, were attacked by members and fans of Bursaspor. At least seven people have been arrested over the attack.
Before the match kicked-off on Sunday, players of Bursaspor assaulted their rivals on the pitch. Amedspor also said their team was attacked by “private security supervisor, club security officer, club personnel and security officers” in their dressing room after the match.
On the night before match, Bursaspor fans gathered in front of the hotel the Kurdish team was staying at to chant racist slogans. At the match, they lifted banners of Mahmut Yildirim, a contract killer for Turkey’s gendarmes who is responsible for the murders of several Kurds in the 1990s, as well as a the picture of a white Renault Toros, a car used by the Gendarme’s Intelligence and Anti-Terrorist Units (JITEM) to abduct and kill Kurds in the same period.
Fans also threw bottles, bullets and knives onto the pitch. One video shows a Bursaspor fan using a slingshot to attack Amedspor players. Amedspor’s goalkeeper was hit by a flare while carrying out a free-kick. Another video shows a mob of Amedspor fans viciously attacking a man on the stands. Reportedly, police did not intervene. “Did our players have to die for the match to be suspended?” asked Amedspor on Twitter.
Bursa is a stronghold of the AKP, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party. His Interior Minister, Suleyman Soylu condemned the attacks after the game. The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) tweeted: “We condemn the racist attacks on Amedspor in Bursa … We are millions who will not kneel before fascism.” At least seven people have been arrested over the attacks; three unnamed public officials have also been removed, according to Bursa’s governor. Bursaspor showed itself unapologetic, tweeting a video allegedly showing their players being attacked at an away match in Diyarbakir.
Amedspor has been subject to state oppression. It was fined by the Turkish Football Federation for changing their name from ‘Diyarbakir Belediyespor’ to the Kurdish name of the city without prior approval. Merchandise of the club is often seized by police. Between 2016 and 2019, Amedspor fans were barred from attending the club’s away games. In September, five fans were arrested for raising the Kurdistan flag during an Amedspor game, though they were later released.
Amedspor currently ranks third in Turkey’s third-highest league. The match in Bursa ended 2-1 in favour of the home team.