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Turkish soccer player attacked for being ethnically Kurdish
 A Turkish-German footballer targeted in an allegedly racist attack has left his club and flown out of Turkey. Striker Deniz Naki, who plays for Turkish Super League club Genclerbirligi, was attacked in Ankara on Sunday and got a black eye as well a minor injury to a hand.
Naki told the BBC he was attacked by three men while out buying food. Once they recognised who he was, he said they they started insulting him for being of Alevi-Kurdish origin - a religious and ethnic minority in Turkey. Turkey has an Alevi population of up to 15 million, including both ethnic Kurds and Turks. "They were swearing and asking: 'Are you that dirty Kurd? Are you Deniz Naki?'" he said. "Then they said: 'Damn your Kobane, damn your Sinjar'. I tried to calm them down. But suddenly one of them punched me in the eye. Trying to defend myself, I punched one of them back and started running away. "As I was running I heard them shout: 'Was the first warning not enough? This is your second and last warning. Leave this country, leave this city, leave this football club!'" He boarded a flight back to Germany on Tuesday night. Asked about his future plans, the 25-year-old told the BBC he had no intention of returning. "There is no tolerance. I would only go back because I love my country, I love my hometown. That's it. I will carry on with my career in Germany." Posted by: 3dc 2014-11-06 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=403639 |