Kurds of Van responded to an anti-Armenian statement voiced by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek.

In response to Cicek’s statement that some members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are uncircumcised, which means a lot, (namely, that they are allegedly Armenians), Kurds gathered near the office of Democratic Society Party in Van. They were carrying a banner with Cemil Cicek on a donkey. The banner had also an inscription saying “Circumcision expert Cemil Cicek goes to Qandil (shelter for Kurdish rebels in North Iraq).”

Earlier, the chair of Democratic Society Party Selahattin Demirtas advised Cicek to circumcise Kurds himself. Let him go to Qandil Mountains (northern Iraq) not confuse Armenians with Kurds, Demirtas said.

The Armenian community of Istanbul also responded to Cicek’s words and advised him to avoid such statements, as they are stirring up hatred towards Armenians.