Two blasts ripped through a rally of the left-wing HDP (People’s Democratic Party) in the city of Amed (Diyarbakir) southeastern Turkey (North Kurdistan) on June 5, killing four people and injuring more than 400 just two days before a general election, the Dicle News Agency (DIHA) said. The HDP is presenting a strong challenge to the AK Party of authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Although its key support base lies in the oppressed Kurdish community, the HDP is reaching out to all those oppressed, exploited and discriminated against across the country. This includes women, workers, the Alevi religious community, Armenians, Assyrians and LGBTI people.
HDP Co-President Selahattin Demirtaş told thousands of people who gathered in front of the city headquarters after the bombing: “The elections will be held no matter what happens. We will prevail, peace will prevail ... We are aware of the groups who feel threatened by HDP’s electoral success and the upcoming elections will be held no matter what happens. We will prevail, peace will prevail, freedom will prevail on the night of June 7 when we present Great Humanity to this country."
Demirtaş’s speech was often interrupted by the crowd’s chant “Murderer Erdoğan!”, DIHA reported.
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On June 6, the Socialist Alliance (Australia), meeting in Sydney for its national conference, passed the following resolution:
Motion of solidarity with the HDP
The 11th national conference of the Socialist Alliance expresses its solidarity with the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey especially in the wake of the atrocity that was the bombing of the HDP election rally in the city of Diyarbakir on June 5. Earlier HDP campaigners have been fired upon and bombed in more than 50 violent attacks over the course of just a month. Stop the repression! Power to the people!