“Either you embrace Mr [Abdullah] Öcalan’s democratic solution, or you cease to be a legitimate counterpart,” warned Keskin Bayındır, Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), during a protest against the government-appointed trustee at Mersin’s Akdeniz Municipality, southern Turkey.
Protests erupted yesterday following the appointment of the trustee to replace the elected administration of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, with demonstrators condemning it as an attack on democracy. The rally outside the municipality, heavily surrounded by police, resumed today, featuring chants of “Trustees are plunderers” and banners declaring, “Trustees are a coup against democracy.”
Bayındır accused the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of undermining Kurdish political representation, stating, “The people chose our politics, but the AKP seized it. If you’ve forgotten, let me remind you – this is the third time trustees have been imposed, yet our people continue to rally behind their party in even greater numbers.”
The DBP leader linked the trustee policy to broader attacks on Kurdish identity and autonomy, pointing to recent Turkish drone strikes in northern Syria and the killing of two Kurdish journalists. “They claim they’re not the enemy of the Kurdish people, but they attack our identity, our institutions, even our funerals,” said Bayındır. “Today, the friends they imprison are not captives – their oppressors are.”
Emphasising faith in jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan’s proposals for peace, Bayındır criticised Ankara’s rhetoric on Kurdish-Turkish unity. “We all want peace, but there’s no brotherhood under trustees and violence. We trust in Öcalan’s vision and the strength of our people to achieve an honourable peace.”
The protest ended with a sit-in, accompanied by chants of Kurdish resistance slogans. Despite heavy police presence, the demonstrators vowed to continue their struggle against the government’s policies.
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