Kurdish street musicians have been yet again prevented from performing in Istanbul’s Istiklal Street on Saturday, Mezopotamya News Agency (MA) reported.
The dialogues between a police officer in plain clothes and the musicians were captured by a mobile phone.
As the police said that he would seize the instruments of the performers and the amplifier, the performers protested, telling him that they have permission documents.
“There is no permission to perform here. Only two spots along the street, and the amplifier is banned anyway. I’m seizing the instruments. Instruction of the police chief,” replied the police officer.
He then called a high ranking officer to have it confirmed that he had the authority to seize the equipment, and he was confirmed.
Speaking to MA, a Kurdish musician named Muhammed Taşdemir said that their permission documents no longer meant anything since they were banned from performing anyway, and went on to burn the documents in protest.
“We received permission documents very recently, it’s been about 15 days. They banned musical performances in the mean time, while we were trying to get the permission. There is a total ban on Istiklal Street now,” he said.
“Now they’ll say that it doesn’t have anything to do with Kurdish. Well, maybe it does not, in official terms, but they’re hanging Turkish national flags on spots we perform, as if we have a problem with the flag.”
He then showed the MA reporter the permission documents received by group members.
“These permission papers no more mean anything, because they stop us even when we show them the papers. So, I want to burn these right here, in protest,” he said.
He then took out a lighter, and proceeded to burn the papers in front of the camera.
