Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, who went to Trabzon to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, was accosted by supporters of Istanbul’s ousted Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, opposition Sozcu daily newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr as a religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.
The protesters who chanted the slogan “everything is going to be fine” had been waiting for Imamoglu to arrive at an airport in Trabzon, both Soylu’s and Imamoglu’s hometown in Turkey’s Black Sea region.
In video footage released by Turkish media on Tuesday, one of the protesters is heard saying “Watch your step, Soylu!” to the minister soon after he arrived in the airport.
After hearing the comment addressed to him, Soylu is seen taking an immediate step back towards the man who made the comment and saying, “Don’t be a show-off!” at least twice.
Soylu made a press statement regarding the protest against him later on Tuesday and argued that he has already been “watching his steps.”
“I did not come here from the lap of [with the support of] Selahattin Demirtas. I have been watching my steps,” Soylu said with reference to the former co-leader of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP).
His remarks were aimed at the support the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Imamoglu received from the supporters of the pro-Kurdish HDP.
The HDP stayed out of the mayoral races in March 31 elections in Turkey’s western provinces and asked its supporters to cast strategic votes for opposition mayoral candidates, including Imamoglu.
Imamoglu had to quit office less than a month later due to objections filed by Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) to the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK).
The objections raised by the AKP included claims of voting irregularities.
The “everything is going to be fine” motto has been used by supporters of Imamoglu since he articulated it in a speech following YSK’s decision to annul the results of the Istanbul mayoral election and hold a re-run.
“God knows we have done you no wrong. We have never taken a step back from the intentions put forward by our President [Recep Tayyip Erdogan]. I want to say that I feel sad [about this situation.]” the minister added.
Soylu is reportedly afraid the Istanbul mayoral election re-run scheduled to take place on June 23 might trigger an ideological conflict in Turkey.
The post Turkey’s Interior Minister heckled by protester as he arrives in Trabzon for Eid appeared first on IPA NEWS.
from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/06/05/turkeys-interior-minister-heckled-by-protester-as-he-arrives-in-trabzon-for-eid/
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