Election Office of Independent Candidate in Mersin Demolished

An election office of the Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block in the Mahmudiye district of Mersin on the eastern tip of the Mediterranean was attacked by unidentified individuals.

The attackers demolished all the windows of the office with iron sticks and stones at around 1.30 am on Thursday morning (12 May). They tore the pictures and banners of Mersin MP Candidate Ertuğrul Kürkçü into pieces.

Kürkçü is one the independent candidates who were temporarily barred from running for the elections by the Supreme Election Board (YSK) in April.

MP candidate Kürkçü said in a statement after the attack that the Mersin police should show due diligence for this incident. He called the authorities to duty to provide security.

"We condemn this kind of attacks by unidentified assailants. In such attacks of unknown assailants the attackers are actually known; in general, it is the reactionary and fascist forces", Kürkçü claimed.

"This kind of attacks will not affect our work. For us, election offices in general are points of movement for us. Our actual struggle is being done at the heart of our people. Thus, this sort of attacks will not affect us at all. Yet, generally speaking these attacks imply the vividness of a trend towards deception and violence in the elections. We received this warning, we registered it and we will do what is necessary. Accordingly, we endeavour to continue our work more powerful and more effective".

A number of politicians visited the office after the attack, namely the Deputy Co-Chair of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Erkan Pişkin, Party Assembly Member Mehmet Doymaz, Provincial Chair Cihan Yılmaz and BDP member and Akdeniz Mayor M. Fazıl Türk. (ÇT/EÖ/VK)