02.09.2026 19:20
MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli reacted to a study conducted regarding Amedspor. Bahçeli said, 'The study claims to demonstrate how Amedspor fans intensify the line between football and identity, attempting to keep the betrayal of separatism alive. Dynamics seeking to poison the climate of peace and brotherhood are in play. No one has the right to poison the goal of a terrorism-free Turkey, and the climate of peace, tranquility, and brotherhood, under the guise of sports.'
MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli harshly reacted to a study conducted on Amedspor fans and the club's social identity. Stating that the study aims to keep separatist rhetoric alive, Bahçeli said that sport is being exploited for political goals and that the atmosphere of peace and brotherhood in the country is being poisoned.
BAHÇELİ'S STATEMENT ON 'AMEDSPOR'
Emphasizing the unifying power of sports, Bahçeli said, 'No one has the right to poison the goal of a terrorism-free Turkey, and the climate of peace, tranquility, and brotherhood under the guise of sports,' arguing that the said study harms social peace.
'In recent days, attempts to poison the climate of peace and brotherhood created by a terrorism-free Turkey, carried out by so-called researchers who are puppets of imperialism, whose target audience may differ but whose purpose is the same, are striking.
"THEY ARE TRYING TO KEEP THE TREASON OF SEPARATISM ALIVE"
The 'Research on Kurdish Perceptions of Amedspor and Fanship,' stated to have been conducted in cooperation with the Kurdish Studies Center (KSC) and Rawest Research, with the support of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, was announced on August 28, 2026.
The study claims to show how the line between football and identity is intensified among Amedspor fans, attempting to keep the treason of separatism alive.
Furthermore, in another survey served to the public by a research and consultancy company whose reliability has been reduced to zero and which is morally bankrupt, the belief of the Turkish nation in Allah, Angels, the Holy Quran, our Prophet, Destiny, and being resurrected and held to account after death was supposedly investigated, and negative results were presented.
The Turkish nation is a Muslim nation; manipulations over spiritual values will only please the enemies.
Our goal of a Terrorism-Free Turkey, which we initiated with the ideal of bringing humanity the justice, tranquility, and peace it longs for, has reached an important stage with the 'Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration,' adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
"A TERRORISM-FREE TURKEY IS THE GOOD TIDINGS OF THE FUTURE TURKISH CENTURIES"
The fact that the law was adopted with the votes of 467 deputies is a reflection of the national will; it is an indicator of the determination and comprehensive consensus towards a terrorism-free Turkey, peace, brotherhood, national solidarity, and social integration. A terrorism-free Turkey is the hope of brotherhood, peace, and prosperity, and the good tidings of the future Turkish centuries.
It is to free ourselves from the scourge of terrorism that ambushes our will for development and shrinks our livelihood, and to strengthen our brotherhood anew and more robustly in every corner of Anatolia.
In a terrorism-free Turkey, where terrorism is eliminated, security is permanently ensured, and cities and rural areas have attained a climate of peace, one of the greatest obstacles to the development drive will have been removed.
A terrorism-free Turkey is the door opening to a terrorism-free and stable region, a blow to imperialist scenarios, and the will of the peoples of the region to take charge of their own futures. In the new century of our Republic, we are striving and determined to build the Turkish and Turkey Century. Indeed, our country stands out as a significant actor on regional and global scales.
"TURKEY IS IN A CLIMATE WHERE PEACE AND BROTHERHOOD HAVE TAKEN ROOT"
Turkey is in a climate where economic and social life is revitalized, peace, security, and welfare increase, the pleasure of being Turkey together as a nation is experienced, and peace and brotherhood have taken root.
In such an environment, where national unity and solidarity and social integration are strengthened through painstaking effort, attempts under the guise of various research to toy with the national and spiritual dynamics of the Turkish nation and to sabotage favorable developments are being made. Dynamics seeking to poison the climate of peace and brotherhood are active.
Sports are one of the strongest tools of brotherhood, peace, solidarity, and social integration. Therefore, the use of the sports field for identity politics, divisive rhetoric, or political purposes must be meticulously avoided.
At the foundation of sports, along with competition, there must be ethics, fair-play, mutual respect, and an understanding of social responsibility. Success, of course, must be achieved without compromising these values.
"SPORTS CLUBS SHOULD NOT BE MADE TOOLS OF PROVOCATIVE ATTEMPTS"
Sensitivity should be shown towards strengthening Turkey's social peace, unity, and solidarity; sports clubs and sports organizations should not be turned into tools of provocative attempts regarding social peace issues.
In this context, it is important for all sports clubs, including Amedspor, to act in line with the unifying spirit of sports and to stay away from attitudes and rhetoric that could increase social tensions.
Sports must be the legitimate ground not for politics and divisive identity debates, but for brotherhood, peace, solidarity, and our common future.
No one has the right to poison the goal of a terrorism-free Turkey and the climate of peace, tranquility, and brotherhood under the guise of sports.
Nor should they have the audacity.
Those who attempt to exploit the critical and sensitive period of the Turkish nation and strive to bring disgrace down to the social ground will find the Nationalist Movement Party and the People's Alliance against them.
In my statement addressed to Amedspor President Mr. Nahit Eren on May 4, 2026, upon Amedspor's success in being promoted to the Super League, I said: 'I welcome with pleasure the success of Amedspor, which was founded in 1990 and brought color, excitement, and a new breath to Turkish sports, in achieving promotion to the Super League for the first time in the club's history. I consider this meaningful success a valuable development for our Diyarbakır and Turkish football.' And we maintain the same determination.
It is a grave error to suggest that politics, sports, and identity are intertwined based on an ambiguous study and to equate sports with identity.
It is also a great slander against the people who devote their labor to sports.
Regardless of political opinion, ethnic origin, sect, or disposition, sports is an activity that should unite, integrate, and embrace everyone.
Our nation takes pleasure in Amed Sport's promotion to the Super League and its success there.
The permanence of an Anatolian team in the Super League is a great expectation, as it was with our similar teams in the past.
However, it is understood that there are those who want to involve Amed Sport in their dirty projects, and against this provocation, first and foremost, club officials and the people of Diyarbakır need to react.
These attempts are a plan to sabotage a terrorism-free Turkey.
They are attempts to poison the climate of brotherhood and peace.
Amed Sport, with its game in the Super League and the successes it has achieved, is a Turkish football club followed with appreciation, and it should remain so.
Football should be approached with a quality, ethical, and solidaristic understanding around national values, focusing on rises at the international level and national team successes.
Sports should not be used as a tool for politics and dark purposes, and those who do so should be held accountable within the framework of the law. We invite everyone, especially the administrators of Amed Spor, who are in favor of a terror-free Turkey, to be sensitive and take immediate measures on this issue. Stands should not be turned into a provocation area for those opposed to a terror-free Turkey. Infiltrations among fans should be prevented. Pseudo-cheerleader networks of treachery should not be allowed to develop a language that threatens peace through fraudulent manipulations such as sports, politics, and identity. It is imperative to prevent such sabotage during the implementation phase of Law No. 7595 on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration. The commissions established under the aforementioned law must act meticulously in preventing such provocations, and necessary sanctions must be applied by relevant institutions. Alongside sports, another provocation, destruction, and manipulation under the guise of an Islamic survey has been brought to the agenda simultaneously. By portraying the Turkish nation, 99% of whom are Muslim, as different from their faith, worship, and values, attempts are being made to confuse minds with a picture that denies our deep-rooted civilization. It is intended to show the Turkish nation as rootless, like upstart communities. It is a great evil to depict this noble nation as devoid of creed, faith, belief, and values. Those who serve whom and for what purpose must be exposed. Islam is the final religion we are honored to embrace as a nation. Our blessed ancestors served as the standard-bearer of Islam for centuries. Our Prophet, the master of two worlds, is our guide. As Yahya Kemal Beyatlı emphasized in his verses, 'This raging storm is the Turkish army, O Lord, This army that died for you is it, O Lord,' the Turkish nation has won its victories with the spirit of martyrdom and holy war, with faith and belief. The future Turkish centuries will also be realized with this belief, faith, and loyalty in science, economy, and foreign policy. The effort to portray our nation as rootless, characterless, and irreligious under the guise of Islamic research is a great distortion and a significant fifth column activity. The Turkish nation is faithful, moral, devout, and loyal to its religion, piety, traditional values, and cultural heritage. Accusing and implicating the Turkish nation in such a manner is a shameful and immoral conspiracy. The manipulation and destruction that these survey companies are trying to carry out in society must be thoroughly investigated in all aspects. As the Nationalist Movement Party, as we have previously brought to the agenda, we propose making a legal regulation that sets correct standards in practice, to prevent studies served under the guise of public opinion research that are far from scientific and reality and aimed at directing society, and to evaluate and audit them on a scientific and legal basis. Within this framework, we deem it necessary to determine the principles and procedures regarding the qualifications and competencies of public opinion research organizations and researchers, and to impose penal sanctions on those who present false, incorrect, or misleading information with the aim of steering or influencing. No one will have the power to stop the blessed march of the Turkish nation through disinformation and perception operations, to plunge Turkey into an atmosphere of chaos and turmoil with social engineering calculations, or to change our country's course. There will be no turning back from a terror-free Turkey. Let those concerned know that we are aware of the traps being set up on the side of evil. The opportunity to be rid forever of terrorism, which Turkey has fought for nearly fifty years and which has cost the lives and property of many of our people, disturbs the networks of treachery. Strengthening our brotherhood, developing democracy, and removing obstacles to our country's rise keep Turkey's adversaries awake at night. Although those disturbed by the eradication of terrorism, violence, and separatism from minds and the rooting of unity and solidarity try to infect society through so-called research, the insight of our nation is powerful enough to thwart dirty games. A Turkey where terrorism is completely eliminated will increase predictability and investor confidence, strengthen production capacity, and increase the welfare of our citizens at the center of regional trade networks. Our fundamental desire and goal is for Turkey to resolve its terrorism issue within its national will, having strengthened its domestic front and ensured its national unity and political and economic stability. For this reason, we consider it of vital importance to avoid initiatives that could lead to tensions, polarizations, and social events. Imperialism's attempt to produce political, social, and economic instability by perpetuating ethnic, religious, and sectarian divisionism and chaos is well known. A terror-free Turkey also targets regional stability and peace against similar provocations and conflicts in our region. Our nation stands by a terror-free Turkey and wants terrorism, with all its elements, to be removed from our agenda. It wishes for the poisonous air of terrorism to be cleansed from our political climate and for the weeds to be uprooted from our land of trust and peace. It desires that the climate of democracy, rule of law, welfare, and security be strengthened and embrace all our citizens without discrimination. We believe that as a nation, we will not fall for provocations, and the goal of a terror-free Turkey, which is a state policy, will be the success of Turkish politics and, God willing, the work of our entire nation. Together, we are the Turkish nation; we are all the Republic of Turkey.