Fans jeer moment of silence for Paris victims

ANKARA, Turkey (Kurdistan24) – Hundreds of Turkish fans booed the Greek national anthem and disrupted a moment of silence for those killed in the Paris attacks, during an international friendly match between Greece and Turkey.

Reports from analysts suggest that the events during the match shed light on the dim view some Turks have of European nations they accuse of insensitivity towards attacks by Kurdish rebels and other groups that have plagued Turkey over the past few decades.

While some will argue that football fans are not representative of society as a whole, the scenes at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium showed that the Paris attacks did not down the same out pouring of grief as elsewhere. Recent research showed that eight percent of the population had a favorable view of the Islamic State group.

During the drama in Istanbul, Turkey team captain Arda Turan tried his best to silence the crowd. A furious Turkey manager, Fatih Terim, said after the match, “What had happened to us?” Terim questioned the behaviour, “As we hold a minute of silence for the dead, can’t we show patience even for a minute?”

Turkey President Recap Tayyip Erdogan, who was present at the match alongside the Greek Prime Minister, was embarrassed and said, “This is unacceptable.” He appealed to those involved “We are not a nation that cannot show respect to the anthem of another country. This is something we have to solve.”

Erdogan only mentioned the disruption of the national anthem—not the minute of silence—pinning the blame on a “few irresponsible people.” Sociologist Ahmet Talimciler believes that “This is the reflection of the logic: They don’t show us the same sensitivity, why should we show them that sensitivity?”

Many in Turkey believe European countries, including France, have supported the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, out of sympathy for Kurds and have remained indifferent to violence by the group.