Thursday 19 November 2015

Turkish football fans shout 'Allahu Akbar', boo Greek team during silence for Paris victims

Turkey: Some Turkish football fans shouted "God is great" on Tuesday and booed a the opposing Greek team during a minute's silence for the victims of Paris attacks ahead of an international friendly.
Turkish fans pass front of a scorboard after the friendly football match between Turkey and Greece at Basaksehir stadium, on November 17, 2015 in Istanbul. AFP
Turkish fans pass front of a scorboard after the friendly football match between Turkey and Greece at Basaksehir stadium, on November 17, 2015 in Istanbul. AFP
Watched by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras, a number of fans broke the minute's silence for the victims of gun and suicide bomb attacks in Paris that left 132 people dead and were claimed by the Islamic State.
The fans chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great), booed the Greek team and also shouted slogans in favour of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul's Basaksehir stadium, an AFP photographer said.
Turkish football fans regularly shout nationalist slogans at matches and it was not immediately clear if the behaviour was more aimed against historic rivalsGreece than condoning the Paris attacks in any way.
The game ended in a goalless draw.
At a qualifying match for next year's Euro 2016 football championship in the central Anatolian city of Konya last month, supporters also shouted "Allahu Akbar" during a moment of silence commemorating the 102 victims of twin suicide bombings in tha capital Ankara blamed on IS.

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