A group of 30 racists attacked three Kurdish students sitting in a café in the grounds of Akdeniz University Campus in Antalya, southern Turkey yesterday, 22 February. The students were later taken to hospital, Mezopotamya News Agency reports.

Botan Artuç and Feyzi Akan, two of the students who were attacked, were treated at the Akdeniz Medical Faculty Hospital, while Hatice Tonğ was taken to the Ataturk State Hospital. The racist group had been on campus taunting the Kurdish students since the early hours of the morning, according to reports.

Protest held

A group of students protesting against the attack at the university made clear their solidarity with the Kurdish students. The students, also of Akdeniz University, made a statement at Olbia Bazaar, which is located on the campus of the University. They complained that it is too easy for the racist groups to enter the university the campus, while neither the police nor the university administration does anything about it.

“Kurdish students endure racist attacks for defending their identity, their language and their culture! We are not going to go away, we will continue to exist everywhere! No one can threaten students with death in universities,” they said.

No action from police

The students added that the police had remained unresponsive while the attack on the Kurdish students was taking place. They then marched through the campus, chanting “Akdeniz University will be the graveyard for fascism!”, “Shoulder to shoulder against fascism!”, “Mediterranean goristan ji bo fascists!”.

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MP Meral Danış Beştaş brought the issue to the Turkish parliament yesterday:

“Three Kurdish students have been racially attacked inside Akdeniz University Campus. The students are being treated in hospital, but the attackers have not yet been detained. We demand that the protection of this racist mob comes to an end and that the attackers are detained immediately.”