10 October 2015•Update: 13 October 2015
ISTANBUL
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Saturday’s deadly bomb attack on a peace rally in Ankara as “hateful”.
In a statement following the attack in which at least 30 people were killed and 126 wounded in twin explosions outside Ankara’s main train station, he said: “I fiercely condemn the hateful attack against our unity and solidarity and our country's peace.”
He added: “Those who practice double standards against terrorist attacks and organizations are giving the biggest support to terrorism."
“There is no difference between the previous attacks against our soldiers, police officers, village guards, public officials and innocent citizens and this terrorist attack against civilians at Ankara train station today.”
The president offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
Meanwhile, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) leader Selahattin Demirtas also condemned Saturday’s “barbarous” attack.
“An extremely atrocious, barbarous and vicious attack targeted a rally organized to establish peace in our country,” he told journalists in Istanbul.
Many of the victims of the attack on a rally called by trades’ unions to oppose the renewed conflict between the terrorist organization PKK and the Turkish state were HDP supporters.
Referring to deadly bomb attacks on an HDP rally in the run-up to June’s general election and on pro-Kurdish activists in Suruc the following month, he added: “It is understood that [the blasts] are a carbon copy of the attacks at the Diyarbakir rally and in Suruc.”
Nearly 40 people were killed in those attacks, with the Suruc suicide bombing sparking a renewal of violence between PKK terrorists and Turkish security forces.
“All the Turkish people should unite for peace and fight for freedom,” Demirtas said. “We will continue to do our best to allow our children to live in a free and peaceful country.”
Turning to the Nov. 1 general election - called after the June vote resulted in political deadlock - Demirtas added: “There are dozens of victims, hundreds of wounded people. In this kind of situation who can run an election campaign? Therefore, we have cancelled all the events in all provinces.”
