DENMARK-BASED ROJ TV CALLS FOR VIOLENCE AND RIOTS IN TURKEY
Menekse Turkyilmaz
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 30 2006
Denmark-based Roj TV has called for violent uprisings in southeastern
Turkey. After the call, the PKK militants and sympathizers terrorized
the biggest city Diyarbakir in the region.
Roj TV has been the focus of recent controversy, as Turkey has made
a series of high level diplomatic requests that it be shut down in
Denmark, where it continues to broadcast uninterrupted by the Danish
government.
Turkish media accuses Denmark of supporting international terrorism.
A civilian economic sanction against Denmark goods is asked by the
Turkish groups
DIYARBAKIR – When Denmark-based Roj TV has called for violent rioting
on the streets of Diyarbakir, the funerals for 4 of the 14 terrorist
PKK members killed in clashes became an opportunity to attack the
civilian and police targets in Diyarbakir city. Yesterday, a call
to shop and business owners to “close their shutters and roll down
their metal blinds” in deference to the funerals led to violence
by PKK supporters on the streets of Diyarbakir against up to 70
shops, 3 banks, and one health clinic that chose not to heed the
Roj TY broadcasted warning from the PKK. Supporters of the outlawed
terrorist group threw molotov cocktails at unshuttered businesses,
and some banks’ ATMs were destroyed.
It is believed that the Roj TV has been financed by the PKK which is
on the list of terrorist organizations in the US, UK and EU. The TV
channel is also used for money laundering and other illegal business.
However Denmark has rejected to close down the station. The PKK’s
previous TV stations MED TV and MEDYA TV were closed by the UK and
France. Turkey accuses Denmark of supporting terrorism.
Events occured in follow-up to funeral
The event leading up to the rioting and clashes in Diyarbakir was the
funerals held for PKK terrorists Bulent Tanisik, Muzaffer Pehlivan,
Mahmut Guler, and Kenan Demir. The funerals were attended by an
estimated 5,000 people, who accompanied the bodies from Diyarbakir’s
Sefik Efendi mosque to the Yenikoy Graveyard where they were buried.
Stones were thrown by the crowd at the 2nd Tactical Air Force regiment
which passed nearby the funeral procession. Following the burials,
a group of 1,000 marched through the streets shouting slogans in
support of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Later, gas bombs and
stones were thrown in clashes between police forces behind barricades
that confronted the marchers in the street. With crowds dispersing
into sidestreets, businesses that had not closed their metal shutters
were attacked by PKK supporters armed with molotov cocktails, sticks,
and stones.
No one was killed yesterday in Diyarbakir, although 10 police force
members and one soldier were injured. Funerals for the remaining 10
PKK members killed in clashes this week were also marked by protest
in Batman, Adana, and Siirt, though none of the other funerals turned
into anything like the events in Diyarbakir.
Denmark Supports International Terrorism
Kemal Tuzcu named Denmark “supporter of terrorism”. Most of the Turkish
newspapers and TV channels yesterday accused Denmark of encouraging
international terrorism. “All in Danish government and security
services know that the Roj TV is a branch of PKK. Most of the staff
of the station are PKK members and the Roj TV supported the violent
events in Turkey. The Roj TV is one of the leading factors in violence
in Turkey. And denmark allows the PKK TV to broadcast” Tuzcu added.
Worse Than Cartoon Crisis” Dr. Sedat Laciner from USAK said “the
Roj TV case is worse than cartoon crisis”. “Denmark insists on the
mistakes. If the Danish police and intelligence services cannot see the
difference between a civilian TV station and terrorist organization,
they are very bad at their business. But no one in Turkey believes
in Denmark’s sincerity.
Roj TV calls for violence and people are killed in Turkey.” Dr.
Laciner added.
According to Dr. Nilgun Gulcan, the Danish Government aims to prevent
Turkey’s EU membership: “The anti-Turkish groups in Europe abuses the
Kurdish, Cyprus and Armenian problems in order to prevent Turkey’s
EU membership. When the Danish Government supports the terrorists in
Turkey, the Turkish Government and people lose their trust towards
the EU. This is a very dirty game. The supporter of the terrorists
are not Iran or Syria but Denmark and some groups in the EU”.
Dr. Laciner says if Roj TV continues to broadcast, Turkey-Denmark
relations would be damaged permanently. “It is like an Al Qeada
TV in Ankara. The PKK is a terrorist organization. It is on the
terrorist organizations list of the European Union, United States,
United Kingdom and many other countries. However the PKK has offices
in many EU cities. Similarly another Turkish terrorist organization
DHKP-C has office in Belgium. Belgium ‘allowed’ a DHKP-C militant
Fehriye Erdal to escape. The double standart is clear”.
Kemal Tuzcu argues that “no one should expect anything in combating
international terrorism”. “They have their own terrorists and they do
not consider the PKK who is responsible for more than 40.000 lives
terrorist. The Western combating terrorism is just the words but
nothing more” Mr. Tuzcu added.
Sanction Against Denmark Goods
A civilian economic sanction against Denmark goods is also asked by
the Turkish groups.
Melahat Karayol, economy correspondent of Turkish newspaper, told
the JTW that “the best way to persuade the Danish Government is the
sanctions against the Danish goods”. “remember the cartoon crisis.
Denmark did nothing but watched the crisis till the economic
sanctions. Trade is more important for Denmark than the human life”
she added.