In the district of Elbistan in Maraş province, where the epicentre of the two successive earthquakes on 6 February was located, the coordinated solidarity work of the HDP and the left-wing organisation Partizan is being sabotaged by state-backed gangs. The increasing attacks are apparently intended to drive the volunteers out of the region.

The volunteers told ANF that refugees were initially targeted by the attacks. In recent days, the aggression has also been directly directed against the work of the HDP and Partizan. The volunteers said that initially a young Syrian man, to whom they had brought relief goods, was subjected to a lynching attempt. He was chased by twenty people and shots were fired. The young man sought refuge in an Alevi community centre. His pursuers besieged the centre with racist slogans and demanded his surrender. The chase ended only when HDP members intervened and declared that the Syrian was not a thief. The police then agreed with the management of the Alevi centre to maintain a permanent presence at the centre and to patrol the surrounding area.

Shortly after the earthquake, the HDP and Partizan volunteers started to use a room of the community centre as a warehouse for relief goods and to build shelters for earthquake victims inside the centre. The management of the Alevi community centre made it clear from the beginning that they did not agree with this and reportedly did not respond to attempts to talk.

The volunteers say that the management of the community centre could not take direct action against the support for the earthquake victims and therefore cooperated with the gangs in Elbistan. For example, one person came to the camp and complained that he was not being helped. Another person then insulted the volunteers and the atmosphere became increasingly aggressive. When the HDP members tried to calm down, another person called the police and claimed that his father had been attacked. After some efforts, the HDP managed to avert the provocation attempt. The community centre management nevertheless demanded that the HDP vacate the camp.

The volunteers assume that their work is sabotaged because of their Kurdish and revolutionary identity. However, they are determined to continue the solidarity work. Meanwhile, the management has also brought soldiers and so-called "village guards" into the Alevi community centre. The paramilitary village guards are from Urfa and tried to talk to and interrogate the volunteers while they were collecting rubbish from the garden of the community centre.

In addition, the volunteers reported that they are being observed by the anti-terror police. Even drones are used for this purpose. The police have also questioned earthquake victims about the solidarity work. There is also a conspicuously high military presence in the city.