Protests continue in the southern province of Mersin following the usurpation of Akdeniz District Municipality ruled by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and imprisonment of the democratically elected co-mayors on Monday.

Masses gathered in front of the municipality building today for a press statement with the participation of Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır, deputies of the Peoples’ Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Party) deputies and Peace Mothers.

Peace Mothers protested the police officers filming the demonstrators in the area, saying, “Go and film the thieves.”

Speaking here, DBP Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır said, “The people have preferred our politics. But AKP usurped it.”

Appealing to the government, Bayındır stated: “The people did not vote for you nor trust you. Let us remind you, in case you have forgotten; you appointed trustees 3 times, but the people supported their party even stronger every time. The people will take back their municipality.”

Pointing to the recent meeting of the DEM Party İmralı Delegation with Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, Bayındır said, “Since October 1, the rulers have been talking about Kurdish-Turkish brotherhood. We want this too, but we cannot become brothers and sisters through trustees. We will not be brothers and sisters with anyone while there are trustees and attacks. We do not trust you. We trust our people and women. We will achieve success with our own power. You say that you are not an enemy to the Kurdish people, but you are. You are an enemy to the Kurdish people and their identity. Only recently, two Kurdish journalists (Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin) were killed by Turkish drones. You usurped our municipality and imprisoned our friends. You are enemies to the will of the Kurdish people. The municipality is blockaded. It is not our friends who are imprisoned today, it is you. As long as these policies continue, you will also remain imprisoned.”

Drawing attention to the attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria, Bayındır said: “Rojava has been under attack for days. The will of peoples to live together is being attacked. We do not believe you saying, 'we are extending the hand of peace'. The process they are talking about is just words. We only trust the Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan in this process. We will do our best to fulfill the 7 points he presented to the Kurdish-Turkish people. The Kurdish people say they want an honorable peace, and you appoint trustees and attack Rojava. You will not achieve your goal through these policies. If you insist on these policies, you will cease to be an interlocutor. There is an important threshold in front of Turkey. Either you choose Mr. Öcalan's democratic solution or you cease to be an interlocutor.”

“We will resist oppression and hostility until the end,” Bayındır said and concluded: “We are fighting for humanity. Those who blockade our municipality are the unjust ones. No one has ever been and will ever be victorious through oppression. In history, those resisting have always won. We will resist until the end for an honorable peace and send the trustees back to where they came from. They are cornered. With the trustees, they are stabbing themselves with the dagger.”