HDP Co-chair Temelli: We reclaim our will

“We will reclaim our neighborhoods, streets and cities. We will not be silenced, we will not be intimidated and we will never give up on this struggle.”

On August 19 the AKP regime seized the metropolitan municipalities of Amed, Van and Mardin by removing the democratically elected co-mayors and appointing trustees in their place.

In tandem with the operation against three municipalities, over 400 people were taken into custody as a result of house raids in dozens of cities. As protest demonstrations continue in three cities since August 19, police forces are systematically attacking the protesters, deputies and residents, and obstructing the journalists.

The sit-in action launched in Amed to reclaim the municipality continues on day 14. Crowds gathered at the Lise Avenue leading to the municipality building, chanting slogans condeming the seizure of municipalities and vowing to resist.

HDP Co-chair Sezai Temelli joined today’s action in Amed, as well as Amed co-mayor Selçuk Mızraklı, HDP Amed branch co-chairs Hülya Alökmen Uyanık and Zeyyat Ceylan, HDP deputies Ayşe Acar Başaran, Ahmet Şık, Garo Paylan, Remziye Tosun, Saliha Aydeniz, Feleknas Uca, Dersim Dağ, Semra Güzel, Hişyar Özsoy, Peace Mothers, Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), Free Women’s Movement (TJA) and representatives of Kurdish parties.

Speaking here, HDP co-chair Temelli said the following;

“This country has experienced yet another coup on August 19. The government, which has appointed trustees to replace the elected, is exhausted.  The will of the people is confronted by violence. We do not accept this violence and attack. We reclaim our will, we reclaim our city. We will never leave the streets nor give up on our will, language and culture. We will fight for the will of co-existence. They have one single thing; Kurdish hostility. They think they can survive by sustaining this hostility. This is the policy of struggle for democracy, a policy rejecting trustees. We reject this mindset and we will never abandon the grounds of democracy. We will reclaim our neighborhoods, streets and cities. We will not be silenced, we will not be intimidated and we will never give up on this struggle.”