Selahattin Demirtaş: Forks and Knives That You Throw Don't Hurt us Any Longer

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Arrested in Edirne Prison since November 4, 2016, imprisoned former Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş has responded to the targeting remarks about the audience of the theater play adapted from his second short story book "Devran".

In a series of tweets posted on Twitter, Demirtaş has referred to the name of his book "Devran", which is a proper name literally meaning fate, fortune or time in Turkish, and indicated that "the fate will change for the better".

Adapted for the stage by artist Jülide Kural, Demirtaş's "Devran" made its debut in İstanbul on January 11. The play was watched by several people including main opposition Republican Peoples' Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's wife Selvi Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP İstanbul Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu and Ekrem İmamoğlu's wife Dilek İmamoğlu.

After premiere of the play was reported in the press, Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu made targeting remarks about the audience. The pro-government media outlets soon followed suit and targeted the play.

'Why does AKP see red when someone says peace?'

Demirtaş has stated the following in brief: "Hello, everyone. It has been a long time since I did not address you from here. As the sewage media of the government have attacked the hopes for peace and democracy with their usual recklessness, I have felt obligated to say a few words about it.

"First, let us start by asking this question: Why does the AKP [Justice and Development Party] government sees red when someone says peace? Why does it declare every peace-demanding person a terrorist? Every sane person knows the answer to this question, right? Because they need coffins to hide behind. They need the funerals of our young children so that poverty, unemployment and corruption will not be questioned.

"If there is peace, there will remain no issue that they can exploit. They cannot pit the society against each other with a discourse of nationalism and survival any more, nor can they derive votes from this discourse. That is why they are so enraged and hateful towards the ones who say peace.

"It is now the moral duty and responsibility of everyone to stand side by side for peace. The biggest resolution process is that the people stand side by side and join hands for democracy.

'They are the representatives of honor'

"Do you all remember the mob that tried to lynch [late Kurdish musician] Ahmet Kaya and his dear wife Gülten by throwing forks at them, right? Some shames just stick on their owners for the rest of their lives, after all.

"While Ahmet Kaya was label as a 'separatist, terrorist, traitor' on that day, [actor] Mehmet Aslantuğ was labeled as 'terror supporter.' And the fate has changed for the better; while the 'honor' has rested with its rightful owner, 'dishonor' has also rested with its own.

"While Jülide [Kural], Kadir [İnanır] and all other women there have gone down in history as the representatives of honor, the lynch mob, especially some TV hosts, have gone down as the symbol of dishonor.

"The forks and knives that you throw do not hurt us any longer. It gives us more courage, strength and moral support to be together and stand side by side. Keep on, the fate is changing for the better. With lots of love and greetings to all friends..." (AS/SD)