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Turkey
Sheikh Said (left). Photo: Handout by Sheikh Said Association; Umit Ozdag (right), leader of Victory Party. Photo: Victory Party/Facebook
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The leader of a Turkish ultra-nationalist party has come under fire since Sunday after he insulted the Kurdish legendary leader Sheikh Said, whose family is filing a lawsuit.
Umit Ozdag, leader of the Turkish far-right Victory Party on Sunday shared two maps on his Twitter account which he claimed showed how Turkey is going to lose land to Kurds and Arabs, comparing it to the Palestine-Israel case. “Turkey is going through a similar process. The Victory Party is the party that resists the Palestinization of Turkey,” he said.
Kurdish politician, Sidki Zilan, commented on Ozdag’s tweet, saying Kurds have the right to control the eastern part of Turkey. The Turkish politician was irritated by the comment and insulted Sheikh Said, who revolted against the newly-established Turkish state in 1925 but was later executed for his rebellion, and Abdullah Ocalan, jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“Sheikh Said the dog also said this but my grandfather Major Mikail took him to Diyarbakir to be hanged. The last person who said this was Ocalan who is grazing in Imrali,” said Ozdag, referring to the prison where Ocalan has been jailed since 1999.
The insult sparked the ire of many Kurds who slammed Ozdag on Twitter.
The Sheikh Said Association denounced the Turkish politician’s comments in a tweet on Monday, saying the Kurdish leader is “the honour of a people.”
Kasim Firat, the grandson of Sheikh Said and the president of the association, told Rudaw on Monday that he will file a lawsuit against Ozdag for insulting his grandfather.
Ozdag is infamous for his racist comments, especially against Syrians.
Late last month, he visited a shop in Kilis province and told a Syrian Turkmen that he could stay in the country “because you are from us” but called on other Syrians to leave Turkey.
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