Spanish journalist Luis Hurtado
A Spanish journalist was subjected to a racist attack by a group of Turkish citizens in Istanbul, northwest Turkey, because they believed he was Syrian.
Luis Miguel Hurtado, the journalist’s correspondent for the Spanish newspaper “El Mundo” and “hispantv”, stated, through a series of tweets he posted yesterday, Saturday, on his Twitter account, in both English and Spanish, that he and his wife were subjected to a racist attack by Turkish youths while they were in one of the areas of Istanbul. , indicating that they thought he was Syrian.
Hurtado said three young men tried to provoke him for about “10 minutes” by asking for a “lighter”. When he did not respond to their request, they followed him into their car hundreds of meters before stopping next to him and throwing his wife a lit cigarette, and beating him and his wife.
The Spanish journalist added: “Because of them, I experienced the shock of my life in Istanbul.” He published the license plate number of the car the young men were riding in, and said: “Their car has a license plate (CLJ 55606). We are fine, but it is difficult to contain the resentment of this country we loved.”
Hurtado expressed his astonishment at the justifications of Turkish commentators on his first tweet about the incident, saying that “about 70-80 percent of the responses who call themselves Turks justify this attack on the pretext that we look like Syrians or Afghans, and some of them accused me of being an agent of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). They used me for political reasons that I distance myself from.”
head injuries
The journalist explained that the injuries he sustained were “all over the head,” noting that he was still angry “because these attacks have become more common and never irrational,” as he put it.
He pointed out that the attack did not require a long stay in the hospital, “because other young men, also Turks, helped and supported us, and we give them a thousand thanks.” The Spanish journalist also thanked all the Turkish commentators and tweeters who supported him.
widespread denunciation by the Turks
On the other hand, many Turkish activists expressed solidarity with Luis Miguel, expressing their denunciation of the attack and demanding that the perpetrators be held accountable. Others also expressed their dissatisfaction with the state of racism that the country has reached, accusing some political parties of inflaming it against the Syrians.
These attacks, which have become popular recently, are mainly due to the racist discourse adopted by the opposition parties and used as an electoral card.
