ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey announced late Sunday that it launched a probe into the “provocative” actions of supporters of a football club who waved the flag of Kurdistan in celebration of their team’s victory earlier in the night.
#Diyarbakir#-based Amedspor club earned three important points in the sixth gameweek of the Turkish Second Division with a 2-0 victory over guests Bursaspor, climbing up to the seventh place on the table with nine points.
As the match played out on the field, the scenes from the stands stole the show as thousands of Amedspor supporters waved the Kurdistan flag and held up pictures of famous Kurdish figures including those of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, whose death in the custody of Iranian forces has sparked local international outrage over the last week.
“Those who want to poison sports with provocative content will not be given the opportunity under any circumstances,” read a tweet from the Turkish interior ministry following the match adding that “necessary interventions” were made against the supporters and an investigation was initiated.
The Turkish state has at times denied the existence of Kurds, with the use of the word “Kurdistan” also often creating controversy in the country. The raising of the Kurdistan flag has often been suppressed by Turkish authorities as well.
The statement from the interior ministry sparked controversy among the Kurdish community online, as well as a number of Turkish officials.
“The Kurdistan Regional Government is a constitutional part of Iraq. Why should a flag be a crime when the authorities come from there?” said Kani Torun, the Secretary-General of the right-leaning Future Party.
The flag of Kurdistan has previously been displayed at Turkish airports when welcoming official delegations from the Kurdistan Region, which has also drawn a lot of controversy.[1]