Former HDP Şırnak MP Ferhat Encu's remarks draw backlash

The Turkish National Football Team faced Portugal in a match played in the EURO 2024 Group F.

26th Term Şırnak HDP MP Ferhat Encu drew backlash for using the phrase ''Bijî Portîkez…'' (Long live Portugal) on his X account during the match.

Here are those reactions:

Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ stated, ''Here is another dishonorable stance. You serve as a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, receive a salary from this nation's taxes, and then post on X saying 'long live Portugal.' The PKK-DEM herd are traitors to the homeland. They are a pack of cowards who are enemies of Turkey. Forming open or closed alliances with them means being a partner in treason.''

Homeland Party (Memleket Partisi) Chairman Muharrem İnce said, ''You are stateless, you are immoral.''

İYİ Party Ankara MP Kürşad Zorlu remarked, ''You see someone who had the honor of serving in the Parliament of this great Nation. However, unfortunately, those devoid of honor will remain incapable of grasping this!''

Deputy Minister of Interior Bülent Turan stated, ''Did this tweet make us angry? No. Will it achieve the provocation it intended? Certainly not. This tweet only repeated a fact we already knew: those who enter elections from Kandil's list only carry out their masters' instructions. Even in a sports competition, they do not neglect to stand against this country, to provoke this nation, and to try to stir up conflict from this. While we are at it, the PKK, to which they have said 'biji' (long live) for years, is dying today; they said 'biji' to Portugal, so what. There is nothing to be done, they are coded this way, the PKK is ingrained in their very being. Rather than waiting for them to change, watching them be wiped away into the dustbin of history is more entertaining! Final word; the HDP leadership, which cannot speak out against this tweet, is a clear partner in this tweet.''