Irfan Eminoğlu has a stall at a weekly market in Amed. He says he can no longer support his family with his work: “All prices have tripled. Our work is idle because purchasing power has fallen. What is strange is that there is no major protest. What cost one lira yesterday costs five lira today. We pay 400 liras for the stand, a litre of diesel costs 22 lira. How are we supposed to earn our living there?”

Medine Aslan came to the market to shop, but the prices are giving her a headache: “People are desperate. We get a pension of 2,500 liras, but we can't make ends meet with that. There is not enough money for gas, electricity, water and shopping. The prices keep going up. We get up in the morning and want to buy something, then we realize that the price has doubled since the day before.”

Zümrete Uyam makes a similar statement: “So many people are unemployed and poverty is increasing. We come to the market with 100 liras and go home empty-handed. We used to fill our bags for 50 liras. We may not be starving, but we can't buy what we want like we used to. A pallet of eggs cost 30 liras a week ago, now it's 40 liras. Not only is everything getting more expensive, unemployment is also increasing.”

Nurullah Esen says that he often doesn't know how to pay for the fruit and vegetables for resale: "You only have to look at the people. The rise in prices is very difficult for everyone. How are people supposed to make a living? They can't even pay their rent anymore, so how are they supposed to shop there? You go to bed hungry. More and more people are collecting food from garbage. This economic crisis must finally come to an end.”

His colleague Ilhami Tayar adds: "President Erdogan recently inaugurated a new bridge. The bridge is said to serve the people, but the crossing costs 200 lira. The people are starving and he lives comfortably in his palace.”