HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) co-president Selahattin Demirtaş spoke to reporters at the Parliament regarding the compulsory Ottoman language classes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has recently vowed will be introduced in the high school curriculum “no matter what they say.” Erdoğan also stressed that; "The Ottoman language will be learned and taught in this country, whether they want it or not”.

Demirtaş said they were against not the teaching but the imposition of the Ottoman language, also calling attention to the ongoing ban on mother tongue education in Turkey.

HDP co-president said that; “It is a good thing to learn a foreign language, and to learn as many as possible, but it is nonsense to impose the teaching of Ottoman. Why would that be compulsory, what is the point in imposing it? The President says it will be learned and taught “whether they want it or not”. This is not a right attitude”, recalling that the national oath ceremony at Turkish schools had to be abolished after years of imposition.

Reminding of the ban on mother tongue education in Turkey, Demirtaş continued; "They say that children need to be learn Ottoman because they can't read the gravestones of their ancestors. That's fine, children can learn Ottoman and other languages such as Persian and Chinese, and even oriental languages. I am not against my child learning Ottoman but I am afraid not against an imposition of Ottoman language classes. I will not let my children take the compulsory Ottoman language, you cannot force me to do this, even if you come to me with your tank, troops and police forces. This imposition itself is disturbing, and is the biggest mistake of the AKP. They are trying to make people accept things by imposing them. The society is right to react."