The era of exploiting national symbols like the flag and anthem in Turkish politics has ended, declared Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party on Saturday, following a coordinated smear campaign that prompted official investigations.
Recent days have seen an escalation in a coordinated smear campaign targeting elected Kurdish councils in Mardin (Merdin) and Diyarbakır (Amed). Prominent ultra-nationalist figures, including far-right Ümit Özdağ, have accused the councils of disrespecting national symbols during their initial sessions, claims that the councils vehemently deny. Özdağ is known for disseminating false information about refugees and other vulnerable, marginalised communities, and not retracting despite being proven wrong.
“We respect our nation’s values and deny any compromise in our council sessions. We urge the public to look beyond these smear campaigns and appreciate our continuous service to the community,” explained Ahmet Türk, Mardin’s co-mayor.
“The recent smear campaigns against the councils we won in the elections prove that these tactics are obsolete,” explained DEM Party spokeswoman Ayşegül Doğan. From 31 March, the party’s local administrations have been working to mitigate damages inflicted by government-appointed trustees, emphasising their commitment to public service without discrimination or undue focus on national symbols.
Further, the statement highlighted ongoing challenges: “Our municipalities are being targeted with baseless accusations and dirty tricks to overshadow the real issues of corruption and mismanagement by the former rulers.” This comes alongside revelations of misappropriation and debts in municipalities previously managed by the ruling party, underscoring a broader issue of corruption that DEM Party insists must be the focus of any official investigations.