Political parties, democratic mass organisations, revolutionary institutions, trade unions and professional associations that have joined forces for crisis coordination in the province of Hatay, which was severely affected by the earthquake on February 6, issued a joint statement on the current situation and existing needs in the Akdeniz neighborhood.

The statement was delivered on behalf of the crisis team by Mutlu Aymaz, with HDP MPs Züleyha Gülüm, Nuran Imir and Ali Kenanoğlu also present. Mutlu Aymaz first commemorated the victims of the earthquake and offered her condolences to their relatives. Aymaz vowed that all efforts would be made to bring those responsible for this disaster to justice at all levels.

Aymaz remarked that many places in Hatay, especially Antakya, Defne, Samandağ and Kırıkhan, are so badly damaged that instead of repairs, complete reconstruction is needed. "What has befallen us is not only the hypocrisy of the representatives of profit-oriented politics and looting, but also the negligence, discrimination, ignoring and lack of appreciation of the approach that has accumulated over decades and has come down in concrete blocks on our people," Aymaz said, stressing that the post-earthquake lynching and racist attacks on migrants and other identities must not be accepted in any form.

"We don't want to report again on what has happened here in the past two weeks. There are countless videos and reports about the lack of help, the cries of those trapped and their relatives, and the mistakes and failures in the rescue work. What is needed now is to denounce the government's political understanding and to identify the most urgent measures. The government is abusing the humanitarian, conscientious and religious values of society and, in view of the number of dead, which equals that of a major war, is speaking of "fate" in order to divert attention from its own responsibility,” Mutlu Aymaz stated.

The crisis coordination in Hatay named the following urgent measures to cope with the earthquake disaster:

1. First, the problem of housing all people in need must be solved. The unique character of the region must be taken into account and the necessary infrastructure must be provided. Instead of tent cities for thousands of people, tent neighborhoods must be built. In the long term, container settlements must be built.

2. Food, clothing, health and education needs must be met. Special needs of people with disabilities, the chronically ill and other disadvantaged groups must be addressed.

3. All earthquake victims must receive regular and continuous cash assistance not below the minimum wage.

4. The reconstruction of Hatay must respect the historical and cultural structure of the region. The return of the people who had to leave the region must be encouraged, and the region must under no circumstances be abandoned to the profiteering of the construction sector.

5) Knowing that the death of tens of thousands of people cannot be justified as a disaster or fate, all old and new bureaucratic and political leaders must be held accountable for their decisions.

6. The evacuation of earthquake victims to other regions must not be done under the supervision of institutions based on religious and mafia connections. The problem of accommodation in other places must not be solved by evacuating students' dormitories, but by opening hotels, guest houses, shelters and buildings that belong to the public but are allocated to favoured groups by the government.

7. We demand that the decision on the location of housing for the earthquake victims should not be rushed and that forests, pastures, agricultural land, etc. should not be ruthlessly plundered while pro-government companies increase their wealth.

Mutlu Aymaz stressed that they will pursue these demands and called for the struggle to be intensified, saying: "We must protect this land and our lives."

The parties and organisations involved in the crisis coordination are HDP, HDK, DBP, SYKP, Proletarian Revolutionary Stand, Kaldıraç Movement Platform for Struggle, Purple Solidarity, TÖP, ESP, Halkevleri, KESK, SMF, SODAP, Revolutionary Party, Women's Defence Network, IHD Hatay, ÇHD, BDSP, TTB, TMMOB, Partizan, Revolutionary Movement and TİP Hatay.