'Mostly minorities are affected from the nationalism' lawmaker threatened with death says
Xanthi SYRIZA Deputy Hüseyin Zeybek stated that being threatened with death by a viewer who is connected to the live broadcast by phone is incompatible with democracy and noted that such tensions do not benefit anyone.
Speaking to AA correspondent, Hüseyin Zeybek reminded that he has been active in politics since 2002 and has been a member of parliament for 10 years, and said that he had encountered similar incidents in the past, but that was the first time he had received death threats in a live broadcast.
Stating that such tensions do not benefit anyone, "These are sad and thought-provoking, because we are always in favor of the democratic defense of rights. I have been acting in this framework for years. Such tensions do not benefit either the minority or the majority. We live in this country as first-class citizens. We love our country. Of course, we have problems about rights. We are fighting for their just cause." he said.
“SORRY THAT THE EVENT HAS NOT BEEN CONDEMNED”
Evaluating the reaction of the ruling party New Democracy and some Greek media after the incident to the expression "Turkish minority" used by him on a Turkish channel, Zeybek said:
“The sad thing is that the incident is never mentioned and New Democracy never condemns it. You never mention the incident and you take a word there and amplify it. Think about the difficulties faced by a minority politician. If a majority MP were threatened by a citizen on a live broadcast in any other region, which "We don't want such things, this is not our aim. Such incidents make us sad, but I think it would be a bigger mistake not to condemn or react to such incidents."
Zeybek stated that he applied to the competent authorities such as the prosecutor's office and the police department regarding the incident and stated that there is no request for additional protection for now.
Emphasizing that the method of seeking rights in democracies should be within the framework of law, Zeybek "We are people who believe in democracy. The thing that upsets me the most is that such incidents hit democracy in Greece." he used the phrases.
“NOT ONLY THE MINORITY BUT I ALSO REPRESENT THE MAJORITY”
Recalling that he and his party were the first party in the region in the last five elections, Zeybek continued his words as follows:
"I am not only a deputy representing the rights of the minority, I am a person representing the majority. I want the votes of the majority voters as well, and my view of life is the same. I have always tried to express the problems of the province. I am dealing with every issue that concerns the society such as education, health, and workers' rights. I am an interested MP. Of course, we cannot ignore the problems of the minority."
Stating that the last period has become more difficult in terms of defending minority rights, "With the collapse of the social state due to the economic crisis, investment has been made on nationalism, which is the easiest to sell. This has affected the minority people the most." he emphasized.
THE HOST APOLOGIZED
Panos Papadopoulos, the presenter of the program in which Zeybek was threatened by an audience, stated that he condemned the threats of the audience after the incident became public and said, "As the presenter of the program, I apologize."
SYRIZA's STATEMENT
SYRIZA's name in charge of foreign policy, Yorgos Katrungalos, stated in his statement that the Treaty of Lausanne was clear that there was a Muslim minority in Greece, and said, "This includes people of Turkish, Pomak and Roman origin. They have the right to identify themselves.
Stating that threatening a deputy's life and the journalist's non-intervention is unacceptable, Katrungalos also drew attention to the fact that the journalist (program host) took a step back.
