German Alevis walk out on Kılıçdaroğlu over Öymen remarks

Alevi associations in Turkey and Europe have reacted angrily to Öymen's remarks about a 1937 rebellion in the Alevi town of Tunceli, formerly known as Dersim, depicting a massacre in which 90,000 were killed as an anti-terror campaign.

Kılıçdaroğlu was initially silent, but then called on Öymen to resign a few days after the incident. However, he backpedaled later when CHP leader Deniz Baykal indicated that he was going to stand by Öymen, and did not repeat his resignation call.

Speaking at a forum titled “Transformation in Politics,” organized jointly by the Alevi Culture Center and the Turkish-German Friendship Association, he said, “Mr. Öymen did not mean to offend Dersim residents with his words, but his words reopened a scabbed-over wound.” However, his words caused anger in the hall and his words were interrupted by Mehmet Akgül, a member of the Europe Alevi Federation administration. Akgül said: “We strongly condemn Öymen’s statements. It is unprincipled to ignore remarks that praise the Dersim massacre. It is unprincipled for people who define themselves as Alevi, revolutionary and democratic to stay in the CHP. We are protesting this and we are leaving this convention.”

Kılıçdaroğlu, who was seen applauding Öymen’s speech criticizing the government’s Kurdish initiative in which he drew the controversial Dersim revolt analogy, said he had applauded the parts he agreed with in Öymen’s speech. “There are parts where I didn’t applaud,” he explained.

He said if he had really applauded “those words,” as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused him of having done, he would apologize. “But it has been noted in Parliament session records and pictures that this didn’t happen and that no member of the CHP applauded that part. … None of us applauded that part of Öymen’s speech,” he said.

There have been protests in various cities almost every day since the statement was made, nearly three weeks ago. Following Öymen’s remarks, residents of Tunceli, a predominantly Alevi city, put up posters throughout the city showing Öymen with a Hitler-like toothbrush moustache to protest the remarks.