'He'll pay the price': Turkish authorities condemn flag removal in Diyarbakır

Turkish authorities condemn the taking down of a Turkish flag from inside an Air Force base in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. Even if he's a child, the attacker "will pay the price," PM Erdoğan said. Sabahat Tuncel, a Kurdish politician, announced that her party disapproves the attack

The Turkish General Staff, President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the taking down of a Turkish flag from inside an Air Force base in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır during protests June 8, following the funeral of a man killed during clashes in nearby Lice.

President Gül called on all people “to act responsibly and avoid provocative, actions and expressions,” while the army issued a very harsh statement regarding the incident.

“We strongly condemn the attack on the Turkish flag, the symbol of the Turkish nation and our independence for which our martyrs’ blood was shed, by a person who possesses no value. We also want to inform the public that we will pursue the prosecution of finding and punishing this person,” said the General Staff in a statement June 9.

A masked demonstrator was photographed by Agence France-Presse photo reporter Ä°lyas Akengin June 8 as he climbed the flagpole after jumping over the walls surrounding the 2nd Air Force Command.

“A masked person among the demonstrators, some of them children, jumped in from the main entrance of the base and climbed the flag pole in the vehicle control zone between two wire fences. A team [of soldiers] was sent to the area and fired two warning shots in the air. But the person took our flag from the pole,” said the military.

The statement defiantly...