DISRESPECT OF TERRORISM VICTIMS (Istanbul)

DISRESPECTING THE VICTIMS OF TERRORISM

In the last few days people all over the world have been mourning before concerts, football games, social and business conventions etc. the Protected content killed in Paris on November 13th Protected content the attacks of the terrorist organization ISIS. It is a duty towards humanity to pay respect and mourn those killed by terrorism. However, discriminating against any group of people among the victims and excluding them from the mourning is disrespect towards them. The mournings should be made not only for the victims of the attacks in Paris but should include the people who lost their lives in the Ankara and Beirut attacks as well. Because the Işid attacks that killed hundreds of people in a similar way in the three cities are very close to one another in terms of time : October 10th Protected content 95 killed, November 12th Protected content 41 killed, November 13th Protected content 132 killed. Therefore mourning of the Paris victims alone is equivalent to DISRESPECT for those who lost their lives in the Ankara and Beirut attacks. For this reason A few days ago in İstanbul, when the chairman of a social meeting asked the audience to stand up and pay tribute in silence for one minute for the victims of the Paris attack and did not mention the Ankara nor Beirut victims I suddenly stood up and yelled : “ Please have respect for the people killed in Ankara and Beirut as well ! ” Similarly, it is a shame that some disrespectful people did not stand up and pay respect in fact whistled while the Greek National Antham was being sung before the Turkey – Greece soccer match in Turkey. Every country’s flag and national anthem should be respected without discrimination.

Moreover Painting Facebook profiles with the colors of the French Flag and commemorating only the victims of the Paris attack is discrimination against the victims of the Ankara and Beirut attacks. If painting Facebook profiles with colors of the flag of the nationality of the victims is to be used then this should have been done by posting all three flags together : Turkish, Lebanese and the French flags. In fact why not post the flags of all nations ? Because people killled in all three cities could be from any nationality. People killed in Paris don’t necessarily have to be French, those killed in Ankara don’t have to be Turkish and the people killed in the Beirut attacks could be of any nationality including Arabs. Therefore the attacks made in all three cities are attacks on humanity not on a particular nation. Consequently there is no justification for posting only the French flag in facebook and mourning only the victims killed in Paris. Posting only the French flag is disrespect not only towards the Ankara and Beirut victims but also towards people killed in Paris who are not French.

Rasih Bensan

November 20th Protected content