Reactions continue to the murder of Kurdish youth Özkan Tokay by a racist group from AKP-MHP in Afyon province. HDP executive and deputy co-chair Ümit Dede said that these attacks stemmed from the government's approach towards Kurds.

Visiting the condolence tent opened for Tokay were HDP executive and deputy co-chair Ümit Dede and HDP Erciş province co-chair Yaşar Kuçaş.

Both Kurdish politicians condemned the attack and said that these uninterrupted and sustained attacks against the Kurdish people stemmed from the AKP-MHP government's approach towards Kurds.

Dede emphasized that this lynching campaign was carried out by the state itself and added: "A group of people who take courage from this propaganda and feed on this racist rhetoric have been attacking the Kurdish people in Sakarya first and in Afyon and Ankara then.”

Dede added: "This is the language of political power in Turkey. The government has promoted a permanent intolerance against Turkey's Kurds. The war-centred policies developed by the government actually play an encouraging role in the mobilization of these civil fascist groups. Since our establishment as HDP, we have said that we will be the hope of peoples who want and can live together in peace, and we still carry this hope. Despite all these attacks, we think that peoples can live together. We will always stand by our people against these attacks. It is not possible to accept these attacks. We will continue to react against these attacks and oppose them, both legally and democratically."

HDP Erciş province co-chair Yaşar Kuçaş, drew attention to the fact that with the arrival of the remains of Tokay in Erciş, the number of soldiers and police has also increased. Expressing that they cannot even buried their people anymore, Kuçaş added that mourning was also prevented.

Kuçaş said: “Everyone living in this country has to respect each other. Since there are no job opportunities in Ercis, young people have to go to cities such Istanbul and Ankara. Far from their families, they are subjected to exploitation and racist attacks.”

Kuçuş continued: “These kinds of attacks cause a great anger in people. Peace must come to this country and these attacks and racist language must end as soon as possible. Today, Kurds cannot even speak their language, Kurdish, in Western cities. Lawlessness and injustice must end."