The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is organizing a two-track democracy march to Ankara, beginning from the western province of Edirne and the southeastern province of Hakkari, in response to the revocation of the parliamentary status of HDP MPs Leyla Güven and Musa Farisoğulları and the Erdoğan-AKP regime's continuing crackdown on our party and the opposition in general.

As part of a broader campaign titled “The Democratic Struggle Program”, this march aims to meet with different sections of society and deliver their demands to Ankara. The march was set to start on June 15 from Hakkari and Edirne and end in Ankara on June 20.

HDP people from 36 districts moved to Silivri this morning to launch the Istanbul section of the march under a massive police presence and siege. Tensions arose as the police arbitrarily wanted to subject the HDP deputies and politicians to an ID check as they waited in a café before the march began. After a while, police attacked the group and battered HDP administrators from Istanbul. According to initial reports, at least six people were battered and taken into custody in the crackdown.