A social media campaign was launched with the hashtag "#8YıldırSuruçIçinSokakta" calling people to take to the streets on 20 July, the eighth anniversary of the Suruç massacre.

On 20 July 2015, 33 young people were killed as the result of a suicide bomb attack in Suruç, in the province of Urfa. The Socialist Youth Associations Federation (SGDF) had gathered in Amara Cultural Center in Suruç (Pirsus) waiting to cross the border to Kobane.

The Suruç Families association posted the call on their social media account, saying: “The comrades of the 33's are calling for an account on #8YıldırSuruçİçinSoka. We have been shouting the names of the 33 dream travelers for 8 years. We will be at the Çağlayan Courthouse on 12 July. Punish the killers!”

Background

300 young people had gathered in front of the Amara cultural center to hold a press conference before leaving for Kobanê. With that trip to Northern Syria, they wanted to show their solidarity and bring children's toys and humanitarian aid to the city that was being destroyed by ISIS. There are clear indications that the ISIS attackers received support from the Turkish secret service. The massacre has not yet been fully investigated. Therefore, activists continue to call for “Justice for Suruç”.

ESP accuses the Turkish regime

In a written statement, the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) Headquarters, said: "The fascist regime had a single purpose: prevent the children of Gezi Park from going to help the people of Kobanê. For this reason, ‘33 dream travellers’ were killed by the MIT-ISIS at the Suruç Amara Cultural Center on the morning of 20 July.”

The statement added: "The suicide bomber carried out this massacre but the state offered ISIS what it needed. The same mentality continued in the trial as well. While not a single person was seated facing accusations, the families, lawyers and the survivors who spoke about the massacre were threatened and offended. Yakup Şahin, the only suspect of the massacre, was protected. It was documented that Ilhami Bali, the wanted suspect, was treated in a state hospital and it was announced that he was in Idlib. It was documented that Mahir El Agal, the planner of the massacre, was killed in the region under the auspices of the TAF and jihadist gangs in Syria, and that he had a fake ID given by the state institutions.”