A gathering of different communities in the multi-cultural city of Mersin, under the roof of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) is continuing. In addition to Kurdish, Turkish, Arab and Alevi people, the Catholic Christians in the province have also announced their support for the HDP.

The support of various ethnic and religious communities for the HDP grows each day in Turkey and North Kurdistan ahead of the elections to be held on 7 June. The members of the Catholic Church in Mersin met the HDP candidates, sharing their concerns about the policies of the AKP against different cultures and communities in the country. The Catholics told ANF that there is now a party in Turkey that embraces all ethnic and religious communities after 90 years.

Fırat Keskin from the Catholic community in Mersin said he will vote for the HDP as a Catholic because he sees the HDP as Noah’s Ark, adding that recent developments in the Middle East, particularly the massacre in Sinjar and the resistance in Kobanê, demonstrated that the Kurdish forces, YPG/YPJ, defended the values of humanity without discriminating against any communities. Fırat Keskin said he sees this as an obvious fact and therefore will vote for the HDP in Turkey.

Monk İbrahim Halil Binici also said an opportunity for the Christians in Turkey has been opened after 90 years and added that all the minorities defending human rights in Turkey, not only in Mersin, have decided to vote for the HDP. Binici added that they want to live in fraternity with all the peoples of Turkey, the Kurds, Turks, Circassians, Lazs, adding that it is possible only through supporting the HDP in the elections. “An opportunity has arisen for all the minorities and discriminated communities in Turkey and we all had the chance to represent ourselves with our own identities under the umbrella of the HDP”, said Binici.

Tomas Kocabay, another Catholic Christian in Mersin, said all the ethnic communities in Turkey must act together to ensure the HDP exceeds the electoral threshold and to live freely in these lands, adding that without the unity of peoples, all will suffer as it has been proved with the recent developments in the Middle East. Kocabay called on all the people to unite under the HDP, that embraces all differences.

Edip Damar also said that he had dreamt about a party like the HDP, which will guarantee the co-existence of people in a free way, adding that his wish had now come true. Damar said if all the communities of different religious backgrounds could obtain the chance to live together in peace, the country would turn into a paradise for all and added that he will vote for the HDP for their children to live in safety and peace. Damar said the HDP candidates whom he met at the meeting in the church were sincere people, adding that he strongly believed that it is the HDP that can bring peace to the country and ensure the jettisoning of the AKP.