After President Erdoğan targeted women attacked by the police after gathering in Taksim Square due to March 8, International Women’s Day, by saying, “They whistled against the prayer;” Interior Minister related the “whistling” lie to Çorum and Kahramanmaraş Massacres, almost making a threat through a massacre. The minister indicated that Istiklal Street is their “red line” and that the Governorate is conducting necessary investigation on the demonstration.
Soylu continued to twist the truth by saying that the women in the demonstration were protesting the prayer. “Do you know how the Kahramanmaraş incident has occurred? I’ve read on the emergence of the incidents in Kahramanmaraş and Çorum very well. The worst issue in Turkey, which would in essence scare us, is the triggering of certain problems through our fault lines. The issues between Turks and Kurds, Alevis and Sunnis, seculars and religious people – these are our fault lines and the West has used this so well so far. God protect us, friends have warned us there after some time and we cleaned it up right away. When it is said, ‘Right now alcohol started to be consumed. A group is doing something like that and it can be something uncontrolled,’ we said, ‘Do whatever’s necessary.’ If they carry the matter of whistling against the prayer to someplace else, we would be in difficulty to prevent social turmoil and clashes. God forbid, if there is something that emerges through the provocation of two sides against each other, this would seriously make us work as a matter of security.”
14.03.2019
cumhuriyet.com.tr