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Even before Erdoğan’s Presidency, Turkey’s southeast was a stronghold of anti-government activism and politics. The Kurdish movement was born in Diyarbakir, a city that is not only the cultural and political heart of Kurdish Turkey but the heart of the movement to declare an independent greater Kurdistan. Because of that movement, and the violence it has engendered, Kurds in Turkey have been oppressed by a succession of Turkish leaders. Erdoğan, who used to present himself as a supporter of peace, has in recent years proved himself to be among the most oppressive of these leaders. Turkish jails are filled with Kurdish politicians, activists, journalists, and academics, along with perceived sympathizers with the Kurdish movement. Kurdish mayors, long a force in national politics, have been removed and replaced by “trustees” loyal to the A.K.P. By the time the earthquake hit Diyarbakir, the city had been so beleaguered for so long that the destruction—vast, yet mild compared with other affected areas—blended into the debris left by fighting between protesters and police. The distrust of the A.K.P. is so strong in Diyarbakir that the earthquake was met by what was arguably the swiftest and most organized civilian response.