Demirtaş promotes terrorism and violence
Once he was lauded as the Kurdish leader who speaks common sense. His candidacy for the presidency was promoted by the Turkish media as proof that he wanted to be part of the political system. He also led the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in successive elections as a party that aims to be a part of the political apparatus.
But once the June 7, 2015 elections were over and his party had collected 13 percent of the vote, securing 80 seats in Parliament, he and his colleagues realized that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had weakened and that it was time to show the true face of his party and reveal his true identity.
So he became the champion of secession in Turkey and the most ardent supporter of the PKK terrorist organization. Instead of urging the PKK to lay down its arms and give up terrorism with his newly gained popularity in the elections he used this to urge the Kurdish militants to take to the streets and stage an uprising. He supported the PKK move to create enclaves in various cities and towns in southeastern Anatolia. He felt that what the Kurdish secessionists and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) did in northern Syria by creating enclaves and cantons in Kobani and elsewhere could be repeated in Turkey.
What he did not calculate, however, was the fact that the AK Party would make a stunning comeback in the early elections on Nov. 1, 2015 by winning 49.5 percent of the vote and coming back with a massive majority to set up the new government while his own HDP barely passed the election threshold, winning 50 seats.
The government immediately got its act together and used the security forces to put down the violence in the southeastern cities and towns. The PKK was clearly defeated in the cities an towns that created a crisis within the ranks of the terrorist leadership. So the PKK went back to its old tactics of hit and run, killing Turkish security forces, while also bombing major cities in southeastern Turkey, killing scores of civilians, mostly Kurdish.
Instead of condemning these attacks and demanding the PKK to give up terrorism, HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has been involved in a senseless campaign to try to justify the actions of the PKK.
Recently he was quoted during a trip to Germany that the PKK is not a terrorist organization. He said some actions by the PKK in Turkey could be called terrorist actions but stressed that the PKK is not a terrorist outfit. His statements created furor in Turkey and embarrassment for Western European politicians who are trying to support him and the HDP.
Everyone is aware in Western Europe on what the PKK is up to in European cities. They extort money from Kurdish and Turkish residents in those places, they are involved in all sorts of smuggling operations, ranging from drugs and arms to human trafficking, and they are the leading criminal organization in this part of the world. The Germans, who at one point were clamping down on the PKK, know these facts better than anyone and yet they still support the HDP and the PKK these days only to undermine the government.
Now Demirtaş is calling for the Kurds of Turkey to take to streets as they did on Oct. 6 and 7 during the Kobani protests. He is clearly irked by the massive success of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in northern Syria as they wiped away DAESH from our borders in less than two weeks and saw that his PYD cronies are now in deep trouble.
It is sad that the leaders of a party that is represented in Parliament still promotes terrorism and violence.
But once the June 7, 2015 elections were over and his party had collected 13 percent of the vote, securing 80 seats in Parliament, he and his colleagues realized that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had weakened and that it was time to show the true face of his party and reveal his true identity.
So he became the champion of secession in Turkey and the most ardent supporter of the PKK terrorist organization. Instead of urging the PKK to lay down its arms and give up terrorism with his newly gained popularity in the elections he used this to urge the Kurdish militants to take to the streets and stage an uprising. He supported the PKK move to create enclaves in various cities and towns in southeastern Anatolia. He felt that what the Kurdish secessionists and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) did in northern Syria by creating enclaves and cantons in Kobani and elsewhere could be repeated in Turkey.
What he did not calculate, however, was the fact that the AK Party would make a stunning comeback in the early elections on Nov. 1, 2015 by winning 49.5 percent of the vote and coming back with a massive majority to set up the new government while his own HDP barely passed the election threshold, winning 50 seats.
The government immediately got its act together and used the security forces to put down the violence in the southeastern cities and towns. The PKK was clearly defeated in the cities an towns that created a crisis within the ranks of the terrorist leadership. So the PKK went back to its old tactics of hit and run, killing Turkish security forces, while also bombing major cities in southeastern Turkey, killing scores of civilians, mostly Kurdish.
Instead of condemning these attacks and demanding the PKK to give up terrorism, HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has been involved in a senseless campaign to try to justify the actions of the PKK.
Recently he was quoted during a trip to Germany that the PKK is not a terrorist organization. He said some actions by the PKK in Turkey could be called terrorist actions but stressed that the PKK is not a terrorist outfit. His statements created furor in Turkey and embarrassment for Western European politicians who are trying to support him and the HDP.
Everyone is aware in Western Europe on what the PKK is up to in European cities. They extort money from Kurdish and Turkish residents in those places, they are involved in all sorts of smuggling operations, ranging from drugs and arms to human trafficking, and they are the leading criminal organization in this part of the world. The Germans, who at one point were clamping down on the PKK, know these facts better than anyone and yet they still support the HDP and the PKK these days only to undermine the government.
Now Demirtaş is calling for the Kurds of Turkey to take to streets as they did on Oct. 6 and 7 during the Kobani protests. He is clearly irked by the massive success of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in northern Syria as they wiped away DAESH from our borders in less than two weeks and saw that his PYD cronies are now in deep trouble.
It is sad that the leaders of a party that is represented in Parliament still promotes terrorism and violence.