Turkey: Verbal attack from Interior Minister to Kurdish deputies

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Friday verbally attacked lawmakers from pro-Kurdish HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) by labeling them as “terrorist scrap” during a discussion at the parliament after the deputy criticized the security forces for a clamp down on HDP after the attack.

During a budget discussion at the Turkish national assembly on Friday, Soylu focused mostly on Turkey’s fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the HDP’s alleged link to the group, while HDP’s Sait Dede protested against the security forces’ clampdown on the members of his party since 2015.

When Ridvan Turan, another HDP lawmaker, supported his colleague, Soylu unleashed his fury over the deputies.

A video posted on the social media showed the minister shouting “Terorist scrap! Do not raise your hand! Impudent! Sit down!” addressing the HDP deputies.

İçişleri Bakanı Soylu'dan HDP'li Rıdvan Turan'a: "Elini kaldırma terörist bozuntusu terbiyesiz, hepiniz teröristsiniz"https://t.co/DXftuQuZhP pic.twitter.com/JnznoxmwnI

— T24 (@t24comtr) November 18, 2022

“You are all terrorists,” said Soylu to both Kurdish lawmakers - as most nationalists politicians who accuse HDP officials of supporting the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party)

Soylu also accused the lawmakers of being “America’s toys.”

Thousands of HDP supporters, members, and officials have been detained in Turkey in recent years, including the party’s former co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag. Most of them have been charged with propagating for or being a member of a terrorist organization.