A group of nationalists in the northern province of Sinop attempted to attack the People's Democratic Congress (HDK) delegation on tour in the Black Sea region since 17 January.

Hundreds of nationalists gathered in front of the teacher's house in Sinop yesterday during the HDK delegation's visit there on the second day of the tour which is performed for the purpose of informing the public about the peace process and democratic solution to the Kurdish question.

Speaking to Nuçe TV on Monday evening, Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy and  HDK executive board member Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who is also taking part in the delegation, said the attack was an organized operation planned before the delegation's visit.

Önder said that "There were around 20 people when we first entered the teacher's house. According to the information given to us by police, the number of the people in the group rose to 800 who we heard were all brought here from the neighboring provinces. These people first assaulted on our cars and ravaged our belongings. Police was joking around with these people while all these things were happening. As the group continued provocation by throwing stones on the building, we saw police allowing two of those people to enter the building from the back door. These two people wanted to hang a Turkish flag on the building. The group had written banners and texts filled with hate which had obviously been prepared much earlier. As their number grew in a short time, police told us that they couldn't disperse the group and suggested us that we should secretly be taken out of the building. As we refused this proposal and said that we didn't want to be treated like guilty, police didn't intervene in the group for the next seven hours”.

Önder noted that they had heard a general in Sinop had provoked the group and added “It is obvious that the Gladio is at work”.

BDP Istanbul deputy and HDK executive board member Sebahat Tuncel, speaking at a press conference after the attack in the teacher's house, said that “The people waiting outside do not have a fault as we know very well that there is a mentality and system problem standing behind this attack. We are here for these people, to tell them that all mothers, Kurdish, Turkish or Azeri, shed the same tears because of the ongoing war and deaths in the country. We are here to tell that it is possible for all peoples to live together in peace. Those who provoke and lead this attack are those who do not want to see the development of democracy in this country. We know it is difficult to ensure peace but we believe a new life will be possible by giving more efforts to make the young people in Sinop and Hakkari join hands together. As someone who comes from a sorrowful territory and knows what death is, I say 'biji bıratiya gelan, long live the brotherhood of peoples'.”

The HDK delegation was able to leave the teacher's house nine hours later as the governor of Sinop, Ahmet Cengiz, came to the scene and held talks with the deputies in the delegation. The HDK tour in the Black Sea Region will continue with a visit to the province of Samsun today.