Is there anybody who can stop the hooligans?

Salman (in the left) who has been shot last night in Adana has lost his life. Murat Can has been wounded to his head.
 

TAYLAN YILDIRIM/DHA PHOTOGRAPH: YAKUP YILMAZ/DHA

An eleven years old boy Murat has been wounded to the head due to a bullet fired by “the joyful people” after the football match between Turkey and Croatia in Izmir. He was lucky; the bullet came horizontally and didn’t kill him. Salman who was six died due to a bullet fired by his uncle with a pump-riffle.

Istanbul- 2 brothers from Izmir went to Istanbul due to a visit of condolence. Murat Can Ercik who was 11 years old and his younger brother Necati went out to watch the joy demonstrations in the end of the football match between Turkey and Croatia. While the guns were bursting one after the other, Murat Can felt a pain in his head. He thought that it was a stone. The situation has been understood in the hospital: a stray bullet hit his head horizontally and luckily he arised from the dead.
But Salman Eren who is six years old wasn’t so lucky. Salma from Adana died being shot due to his uncle who opened fire with his pump-riffle.
Three weeks ago, Umut foundation’s (struggling against individual armament), report notified the “successful carrier” of the hooligans extending from a match joy to a marriage: “Taking into consideration the presence of guns in events necessitating pursuit and the percentage of the use of gun in the crimes the most committed, we esteem that there will be a serious public security problem in the coming days.” However, nobody paid attention to it…
And the last news came from Adana. The quarter of Anadolu has witnessed a street marriage last night. While people were dancing the halay, Nezir Elçicek went to the third floor of the wedding-ceremony hall with his pump-riffle. Just when he wanted to fire, he lost his footing and the riffle exploded. The bullets rained on the people having fun on the streets: a six year old boy Salman has been wounded. Salman died in the hospital he has been taken. Elçiçek was Salman’s uncle.

The “victory hooligans” which are the “blood brother” of marriage hooligans have been seen the latest in Izmir. Murat Can and Necati Ercik who went to a visit of condolence with their parents in Yenişehir went out to watch the demonstrations after the match. While the two scared brothers were going back home, Murat Can has felt a pain in his head. He thought it was a stone. He immediately was taken to the hospital. In the x-ray taken, a cartridge bullet has been found. He was taken under an operation, the bullet, which didn’t harm the brain because it entered into the skull in profile, has been taken out. Murat Can was very lucky because the bullet didn’t hit his head vertically.
There was lot of example like Murat Can Ercik that night: one person died and one person has been wounded in Bursa. 11 people have been wounded in Istanbul, three in Adana, five in Gaziantep, two in Mersin, one person in Kocaeli, Antalya, Şanlıurfa, Kahramanmaraş and Niğde. Furthermore this was the “match and national joy” hooligans’ one day balance sheet and was saying “I am coming”. You wonder how?
The report, prepared and declared by Umut Foundation in the Week of Global Action Against Gun Violence for the week of June 2 to 8 as a result of the first three months data analysis of 2007-2008 taken from the police office, was announcing this arrival. According to the report, 15 % of the firearms used in public security events in precincts were licensed in 2007.
Firearms were used the most in crimes committed against the society. Guns were used in one out of ten crimes committed against the society.
There is one death in return for 25 injuries in crimes.
The licensed firearms have been used the most in events necessitating pursuit. In these events, the use of licensed firearms is two-half more comparing to other crimes.
Three out of 100 people who die are foreigners. One out of four deaths is a person aged 18 or less than 18.
In public security events in precincts, in the first three months of 2008 and comparing to 2007;
The use of gun has increased 57%.
In events necessitating pursuit, the use of gun has increased 30 times more.
In detailed gun distribution handguns and blank guns have attracted attention.
There were also warnings in the report:
Taking into consideration the presence of guns in events necessitating pursuit and the percentage of the use of gun in the crimes the most committed, we esteem that there will be a serious public security problem in the coming days.
In addition, despite the presence of a law concerning blank guns, it comes out that there hasn’t been any inspection yet or that the law is not implemented in practice.
Registered armament is not deterrent; on the contrary it is used extensively as a laceration and death device.
“The feeling of worry and depression”
Prof.Dr.Arif Verimli from Yedidepe University Medical Faculty Department of Psychiatry, says that in our society “being happy” isn’t taught to children and that a feeling of worry and depression are installed within them. He also said: “The issues interesting the society like National matches let the feeling of joy or depression, which are pressurized since childhood, find their acceptance. We overdo it in this mechanism because we don’t know how to be happy.
“A joy particular to us”
Mazhar Bağı, a sociologist, has indicated that being happy with a gun is particular to us and said that the joy has been turned into a show of strength due to a custom coming from the country’s tradition. Bağı who said that showing happiness with guns are seen much more in matches held with world countries especially Europe being at the first place, has stressed that what causes this is the feeling of worry and depression and that this is the way to say “Look, I also beat you” with a gun.
Mazhar Bağı, who said that the fact of being happy with a gun won’t end in a flash, said that in order to come to an end with firing here and there people should first individualize and stop considering the guns as a show of strength.

Radikal Gazetesi (newspaper)
June 23th 2008