HÜDA PAR Deputy Chairman and Gaziantep MP Şahzade Demir said the masterminds behind the October 6-8, 2014 violence and networks that enabled the bloodshed were never fully brought to light, arguing that the judicial process largely focused on those who carried out the attacks on the streets.

Speaking at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), Demir addressed the 12th anniversary of the October 6-8 incidents in southeastern Türkiye, the Palestinian struggle and the ongoing Israeli attacks and oppression in Gaza.

‘October 6-8 left a deep wound in the memory of the Muslim people’

Describing the October 6-8 events as one of the darkest episodes in recent history, Demir said the violence targeted not only individuals but also Muslims, Islamic institutions and organizations associated with an Islamic identity.

“October 6-8 entered our recent history as a dark uprising in which violence, massacres, destruction and vandalism were unleashed,” Demir said.

He said armed militants and organized groups were mobilized under the pretext of developments in Kobani, resulting in attacks against civilians, homes, workplaces and public institutions.

Among those killed were Yasin Börü and his friends, who were distributing sacrificial meat during Eid al-Adha.

Demir said the deliberate targeting of Börü and his companions represented one of the most painful symbols of the violence.

“Islamic institutions, HÜDA PAR organizations and individuals known for their Islamic identity were among the main targets,” he said.

“The nature of these attacks showed that the targets had been predetermined and that these incidents were not random, but planned and organized.”

‘The masterminds behind the bloodshed were never exposed’

Demir said the subsequent judicial proceedings failed to fully uncover those who, according to him, planned and directed the violence.

“The investigations and judicial processes unfortunately remained limited to some street-level perpetrators. They never reached the organizers behind the conspiracy,” he said.

He also underlined that certain circles within the state failed to intervene adequately at the beginning of the unrest, allowing the violence to spread.

According to Demir, leaving such links unexplored prevented the full truth from emerging and risks allowing similar provocations to recur.

He stressed that justice requires not only punishing those who commit violence directly, but also uncovering those who organize, direct or enable such violence.

‘Resistance is not the cause; it is the result of occupation’

Turning to Palestine, Demir said the Al-Aqsa Flood operation of Oct. 7, 2023, cannot be separated from the history of occupation, displacement and attacks against the Palestinian people.

“Palestine has been struggling under colonial and Zionist occupation since 1917,” he said.

He referred to the Nakba of 1948, the displacement of Palestinians, the occupation of Jerusalem and restrictions surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque, describing these developments as part of a prolonged injustice against the Palestinian people.

Demir also highlighted the blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.

“Al-Aqsa Flood was an explosion against decades of injustice, isolation and the seizure of homeland,” he said.

“Resistance is not the cause; it is the inevitable result of occupation.”

‘Gaza has exposed the hypocrisy of the international order’

Demir said the devastation in Gaza had exposed the failure and double standards of the international system in confronting the suffering of Palestinians.

“Neither before nor after the genocide were international institutions and regional countries able to take concrete steps against this oppression,” he said.

He argued that the Palestinian resistance emerged in response to years of occupation, siege and attacks, particularly against Gaza and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

For Demir, the steadfastness of Gaza has also become a test of conscience for Muslims and people of conscience around the world.

He said the suffering of Palestinian civilians should not be allowed to become a forgotten humanitarian tragedy and called for continued solidarity with Gaza.

‘Gaza needs action, not empty condemnations’

Demir said repeated statements of condemnation would not be enough to end the violence and called for concrete political, diplomatic and economic measures against Israel.

“The way to stop the occupation regime, which has the unconditional support of the United States behind it, is not through verbal condemnations but through concrete and deterrent steps,” he said.

He called on governments, particularly Muslim-majority countries, to use their political and diplomatic influence to pressure Israel, ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza and defend the rights of the Palestinian people.

Demir said a genuine and lasting peace could only be achieved by ending the occupation and attacks, lifting the blockade on Gaza, ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access and enforcing meaningful measures against violations of ceasefire agreements.

‘Jerusalem, Gaza and Palestine will never be abandoned’

Concluding his remarks, Demir reaffirmed his solidarity with the Palestinian people and praised the steadfastness of Gaza.

“Jerusalem, Gaza and all of Palestine are not abandoned and will never be abandoned,” he said.

“We salute the patience and resistance of the people of Gaza and call on all people of conscience to raise their voices against the Israeli occupation.”

Demir's remarks came as Muslims and pro-Palestinian groups across Türkiye marked the third anniversary of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation and renewed calls for solidarity with Palestinians and the protection of Al-Aqsa Mosque. (ILKHA)