The hatred never went away
Civilians join the fight between soldiers and guerrillas, burying years of calm
EASTERN Turkey has been paralysed for weeks by clashes between government forces and Kurdish extremists. Now violence is spreading to the rest of the country. Roadside bombs laid by Kurdish fighters killed 30 soldiers and policemen on September 6th and 8th. Bent on revenge, nationalist crowds waving Turkish flags attacked offices of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP). In the Mediterranean resort of Alanya, protesters burned a building that housed its provincial headquarters. In Ankara, the capital, a group of fanatics broke into the national party office and tried to set it on fire.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The hatred never went away”
From the September 12th 2015 edition
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