Turkey will not let sectarians disrupt peace: Officials

ISTANBUL/ANKARA/IZMIR, Turkey

Turkey's government will not allow discrimination to disrupt peace in the country, said Turkey’s interior minister on Thursday, speaking in the wake of vandals defacing a house owned by Alevis.

Speaking at an event in western Izmir province, Suleyman Soylu said authorities would investigate the incident in which unidentified perpetrators marked one of the walls of an Alevi house with an X sign and discriminative slur in Izmir province on Wednesday.

"I see that mark as if it was written on my house’s wall," Soylu said, underlining that those responsible would account for the incident.

Separately, ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesperson Omer Celik said all relevant institutions are closely following procedure and that a detailed investigation has been launched.

"The Izmir Governorate and security units are dealing with the issue with the utmost care," Celik said.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Secretary General Ismet Buyukataman said those who carried out the act were "traitors".

"Those, who think that they can marginalize a part of this nation by writing 'Alevi' on their door, they are true traitors," Buyukataman said, adding that Turkey had paid the price for similar acts in the past.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Izmir Governor Erol Ayyildiz said inquiry into the incident is ongoing.

He said investigations indicated that the incident was founded on a local quarrel, rather than sectarianism.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also spoke on the incident on Thursday, saying such acts were committed in a bid to divide Turkish society.

"All our security agencies are especially working [to find] those who made these marks on doors and when they are captured, they will be brought to justice," Erdogan said.

He said that Turkey would never allow such designs that are against the values of Turkey and aiming to harm the Turkish society.

*Writing by Sena Guler