Families of those arrested and remanded during the Gezi protests in Izmir have called for support at the hearing at the Bayraklı Courthouse today.

At a press conference held at the DİSK Genel-İş building, families of those arrested during Gezi protests said their children were innocent of any crime, and appealed for support at the hearing at the Bayraklı Courthouse on 3 December. Hamza Kaya, representing the families, said: "Our children were trying to prevent forces that are taking the country to ruin, the same forces that praised the police who oppressed our children."

The press conference was also attended by DİSK Aegean Regional Representative Memiş Sarı and KESK İzmir Branch Platform Spokesperson Ramis Sağlam.

KESK İzmir Spokesperson Ramis Sağlam said the Gezi protests were a popular movement, adding: "Trials in this and cases such as the 4+4+4 case have no judicial legitimacy. They are based on police reports. We are involved in these cases, not at the moment as the accused, but no one can tell when another popular movement will emerge. As long as the AKP government persists in not understanding the spirit of Gezi, new popular movements may appear at any time."