Turkish protests condemn Syrian bombing of Turkmen villages

A number of Turkish cities witnessed protests on Sunday condemning the attacks by forces loyal to the Syrian regime against Turkmen villages in the province of Latakia.

In the capital Ankara, members of the Great Union Party put a wreath of black flowers in front of the Russian Embassy in protest at the targeting of civilians in the villages of Mount Turkman by Russia’s air force. The party also staged a similar demonstration in the northern province of Samsun.

In Istanbul, a group of students demonstrated in front of the Russian consulate. The protest was organised by the Turkish students union. Protesters carried banners demanding that Russia should leave Syria altogether.

Other groups involved in demonstrations included the Free Thought Association in Amasya; the Turkish Right and Equality Party and the Syrian Turkmen National Movement Party in Gaziantep; and the Turan Association in the central state of Kayseri. The association’s Chairman, Ali Ihsan, said that the situation of civilians in Mount Turkmen is “very bad” and called on the Turkish people to demonstrate against the Russian bombing.

According to the Turkish foreign ministry, Turkmen villages were subject to “heavy bombardment” by the Russian aircraft in the Bayırbucak area of northwest Syria, close to Turkey’s Yayladağ border in the Hatay province.