Mandela: Shining light for Turkey's Kurds

To the Kurds of Turkey, Nelson Mandela was a source of inspiration for their own struggle -- a freedom fighter who was jailed in isolation like their own leader. To some nationalist Turks however, he was a "terrorist" because of his support for the Kurdish cause and an "insolent African" who turned down the country's most prestigious award. Turkey's leaders hailed Mandela as a "great statesman" and a "legendary leader", although Ankara is sending a low-level official to his memorial on Tuesday, in contrast to many world governments who are sending heads of state or top royals. The Turkish press gave the death Thursday of South Africa's first black president and Nobel Peace laureate relatively low-key coverage, with the news announced in only small stories on their front-pages. And two international Ivorian players have been threatened with disciplinary action by the Turkish Football Federation for wearing T-shirts paying homage to Mandela after a match on Friday. The federation said Didier Drogba and Emmanuel Eboue had breached a ban on wearing political slogans on T-shirts. But dozens of Twitter users reacted by accusing the football authorities of "fascism". Mandela angered Turks when in 1992 he turned down the Ataturk Peace Prize awarded for his lifelong fight against the apartheid regime, because of Turkey's rights record and oppression of the Kurdish minority. "Mandela has spent his whole life fighting for democracy, human rights and against pressure. The African National Congress (ANC) would like to say that Mandela does not accept the award and has no plans to visit Turkey," the ANC said in a letter at the time. The affront triggered outrage in Turkey, where even the liberal press branded him an "ugly African" and "the terrorist Mandela", although he accepted the award several years later. Today, the animosity appears to be a thing of the past. "Nelson Mandela was a great statesman who inspired people in their quest for freedom, dignity and equality," Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Twitter. He said Mandela was a "resilient peacemaker and a relentless reformer" who "changed the lives of his people as well as the thinking of the world". 'We need Mandela spirit in Turkey' Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not comment publicly but sent a message to Pretoria in which he described Mandela as "symbol of equality and democracy" who had led an "honourable struggle" and had left an "indelible mark not only for the people of South Africa but the whole world." Some Twitter users said they needed a towering figure like Mandela in Turkey, where the government is under fire for its crackdown on freedoms. "RIP Nelson Mandela. We need your spirit so much in Turkey now. Freedom is gone, Democracy is gone,Press is pressed," said one tweet by Hasan Ulu. Some comments on the Hurriyet Daily News website said Turkey's decision to send a deputy prime minister to the Mandela memorial could damage the country's image. However, another, who identified himself as Alkan Alkan, said it was justified. "Mandela may have been a great leader. However he was rude towards Turkish republic over the Kurdish issue." In contrast, Turkey's Kurds issued a series of emotional tributes to Mandela, likening his fight against apartheid to their own struggle against the Turkish government. "Mandela was a shining star who illuminated the people of Africa," jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan said in a message relayed by Kurdish lawmakers who visited him in prison at the weekend. "We will ensure there is a star shining over the people of the Middle East," he said, in an apparent reference to the Kurdish struggle for a homeland. Ocalan, described by some as the "Mandela of Kurdistan" has been behind bars in an isolated island prison since 1999. But last year the man once reviled by Turks as their nemesis launched secret negotiations with Erdogan's government aimed at ending the near three-decade conflict. The leaders of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which represents Kurds in parliament, hailed "comrade Madiba... and his struggle for all oppressed people" particularly the Kurds.