The citizens of Kirkuk protested Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent comments denying the Kurdish existence, “You are not there in Kirkuk”.They said: “The İmam Kasım neighborhood was where Kirkuk was founded, and it has been Kurdish since the day it was built.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan commented on the referendum held in Southern Kurdistan and insulted KDP Leader Masoud Barzani constantly in his speech, and denying the history of Kirkuk and the Kurds, said “You are not there in Kirkuk”.
Citizens from Kirkuk said that with this kind of talk, Erdoğan “must have hit his head”, and added: “The İmam Kasım neighborhood was where Kirkuk was founded, and it has been Kurdish since the day it was built.”
“KIRKUK IS AND WILL REMAIN A KURDISH CITY”
Karwan Reşit spoke about Erdoğan’s denialist comments and stated that Kirkuk is a city where people from four nations and many faiths live together. Reşit said Kirkuk is and will remain a Kurdish city, and added:
“Erdoğan must have hit his head somewhere! Kiruk is a Kurdish city, and it will remain a Kurdish city. There are four nations in Kirkuk: Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens and Syriacs/Chaldeans. Erdoğan must have hit his head on a rock somewhere, he goes as far as to deny this history! It’s not up to him to want or not want. This is a Kurdish city, and it will remain so.”
“KURDISH CITY DOWN TO ITS FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD”
On Erdoğan’s comments, Ali Resul said: “What Erdoğan said is what he dreams of. Like other anti-Kurdish countries, Erdoğan also says Kirkuk is not a Kurdish city.”
Resul said Kirkuk was first settled in the Imam Kasım neighborhood and added: “In a sense, the Imam Kasım neighborhood is the founding place of Kirkuk, and it has been a Kurdish neighborhood since it was first built. From Gotis to Sasanis, the Imam Kasım neighborhood was the center. Then later on other neighborhoods were built.”
Resul added that the Turkism trend launched in 1950’s and 60’s started to stir the pot in Kirkuk, and that the aim was to invade Kirkuk again: “This invasionist attempt by Turkey brought chaos to Kirkuk. Turkey formed armed groups with people they paid. Many people participated in these groups to make money. At the time, many individuals and families changed even their nation for their interests, and became Turkmens.”
“ALL NATIONS AND FAITHS LIVE IN HARMONY”
An old Kirkuk man named Cemal Ehmed stated that Kirkuk is a city where Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, Syriacs and Chaldeans live together and respect each other. “Everybody knows that throughout history, the Kurds have had the largest populace here,” said Ehmed and stressed that Kirkuk is a city where mostly Kurds from Kakai and Yarsani sects live.
