NATO Ally Turkey Holds March Celebrating Slain Hamas Chief AP Photo/Khalil Hamra

Thousands of demonstrators marched in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday to support the terrorists of Hamas and denounce the killing of their leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed while visiting Iran early on Wednesday morning.

The Turkish demonstrators waved photos of Haniyeh and banners proclaiming, “Martyr Haniyeh, Jerusalem is our cause, and your path is our path.”

The protesters declared their support for the murderous “resistance in Gaza,” waved both Palestinian and Turkish flags, and burned at least one Israeli flag.

The marches included chants such as “murderer Israel, get out of Palestine [sic],” “salute Hamas and continue resisting,” and “Zionist dogs will pay.”

The demonstrations in Turkey were coordinated through social media, including joint statements from Palestinian activist groups, labor unions, and Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party condemning Israel’s “destruction of Palestine [sic].”

Some of the protest groups called for Turkey to ban American and Israeli forces from using a NATO radar station and Incirlik Air Base, a strategically vital base in southern Turkey.

The protests included some violence in Turkey’s eastern Batman province, including assaults on shops and restaurants linked to the United States and Israel, namely Starbucks and Burger King. Turkish police investigated reports of customers being assaulted by the mob at these establishments.

The pro-Hamas march followed the Turkish government’s condemnation of the “heinous attack in Tehran” and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declaring Haniyeh to be his “brother” in a heated social media post that described the assassination as a “despicable act.” Erdogan also suggested Turkey could be ready to invade Israel on behalf of the Palestinians.

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