Nationalist groups to hold protest against Kurdish initiative

This platform is widely accused of exploiting the pain of the families of soldiers who fell in clashes with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and provoking this segment of the society to fight the democratic initiative.

The sensitivities of the families of soldiers killed in battle with the PKK were greatly offended two weeks ago when a group of PKK members were greeted by large crowds of PKK supporters upon their arrival in Turkey as part of the government's initiative. The protestors have invited dozens of civil society organizations participate in the demonstration. However, some organizations representing slain soldiers' families have rejected the invitation, pointing out the ulterior motive of the organizers.

Head of the Aegean Erzurum Associations' Federation Muzaffer Okumuş said his organization would never be part of a political protest that might offend the wider society.

 Yusuf İnan, the coordinator of the Web site www.sehitlerolmez.com, whose domain name translates to Martyrs Never Die, also said he had been sent invitations by e-mail. “Our Web site was set up 11 years ago to stand up for the rights of martyr's families. Some people who completely ignored the demands of the relatives of martyrs in the past are now sending us e-mails, calling on us to use the Web site to provoke people to take to the streets. All the messages we get regarding this issue are sent from the same IP address. Organizations that will join this protest that is obviously being organized by the Workers' Party's (İP) subsidiary organizations should think about whom they will be serving by joining this protest. I have never forgiven [İP leader] Doğu Perinçek, whose photographs with chief terrorists are all over the Internet.”

Perinçek, who is currently a under arrest as a suspect in the Ergenekon investigation, has allegedly had warm relations with the PKK and its leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is currently imprisoned on a prison island in the Marmara Sea.

These statements come one day after some individuals walking along with a group of nearly 1,000 fallen soldier's families attempted to lead the families to the Prime Ministry during a protest held on Saturday. There were claims that police force was used to stop the protestors; however, none of the available coverage has confirmed such allegations. Meanwhile, a statement from the Ankara Governor's Office yesterday denied claims that the families of fallen soldiers wishing to march to the Prime Ministry were mistreated. The statement said that provocateurs that had managed to infiltrate the group of nearly 1,000 protestors and were attempting to lead the crowd to the Prime Ministry, forcing riot police to intervene. However, police officers persuaded the slain soldier's families not to march there, according to the statement. “There has been absolutely no negative behavior such as the maltreatment of a martyr's relatives or using physical force against them.”