Delegation from Europe observed the problems of Turkish community in Western Thrace

During the expedition taken by the ABTTF a delegation consisted of academicians and civil society organization representatives made an observation on site regarding discriminative and racist applications against Western Thrace community and problems experienced in the field of religion and education

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) took an expedition to the region of Western Thrace in Greece on 10-13 September 2017. Within the group of expedition delegation consisted of Mustafa Kasap and Serdar Kalekoğlu, vice presidents representing ABTTF, K. Engin Soyyılmaz, Central Office Associate and Fatma Ahmetcik, Member of International Studies and Lobby Group there were also Prof Time Jensen, Member of Faculty in the department of Religious Studies at Southern Denmark University and two representatives from European Network against Racism based in Europe of which ABTTF (ENAR) is also a member.

On the first day of the expedition the delegation visited İbrahim Şerif, Elected Mufti of Komotini and President of Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Board (BTTADK) in his office and received information about the problems experienced by Western Thrace Turks in the field of religion and suppression and intimidation imposed on their religious leaders by the Greek authorities. Afterwards the delegation visited the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (BTAYTD) and here listened the problems experienced in higher education and the problems experienced in public field by the graduates of higher education in the Western Thrace Turkish community. Thereafter, the delegation visited Comotini Turkish Youngsters Union (GTGB) and received information about legal and political struggle and activities of the union which was closed on the ground that the name of the union has the word “Turkish” in its title. The delegation visited headquarters of Friendship, Equality and Peace Party (DEB) in Komotini, representative Western Thrace Turkish community in political field, and here the delegation was provided information about general policy of Greece towards Western Thrace Turkish community, discrimination experienced in political field, 3% election threshold applied also to independent candidates in countrywide and legal proceedings against management. The delegation lastly met with press members on the last day and received information from the members of the press regarding the views and hatred discourses about Western Thrace Turkish community in mainstream Greek local, regional and national media.

On the second day that started with the visit to Western Thrace Turkish Teachers Union (BTTÖB) the delegation was given the information on the right of the Western Thrace Turkish community to education guaranteed by agreements, problems experienced in minority education and within this scope termination of activities of bilingual primary schools, their unification and closing down. Afterwards the delegation met with Ahmet Mete, elected Mufti of Xhanthi, at his office and listened to him about the works of the office of the mufti and discriminative applications against Western Thrace Turkish community in the field of religion. Then the delegation visited Xhanti Turkish Union (İTB) which was closed down because of the word “Turkish” in its title and obtained information about legal struggle of this first association of Western Thrace Turkish community that won the case through filing a case at European Court of Human Rights (AİHM). In the afternoon, the delegation visited Mustafçova Municipality where they met Mayor of Mustafçova Municipality and Cemil Kabza, vice president of BTTADK and the delegation was provided information regarding local representation of Western Thrace Turkish community, geographic, demographic and economic structure of Mustafçova Municipality and the legal proceeding carried out against Kabza. Within the framework of the expedition the delegation lastly visited village of Şahin affiliated to Mustafçova Municipality and they met with the villagers and they listened to the problem of bilingual minority schools at first hand and especially from the mothers of the students.