Turkish police removed 14 tents established in the Akdeniz district of Mersin for the people who came to the city in tens of thousands after being forced to leave their homes in earthquake-stricken areas.
14 tents were set up on February 21 by people in the Kazanlı neighbourhood of Mersin's Akdeniz district for those who moved to the city after two Maraş-centred earthquakes on February 6. On February 23, the police removed the tents, claiming that “since this is not a disaster area, permission must be obtained from the governor's office or district governor's office”. The earthquake victims were then provided accommodation in the cultural houses in the Çay and Çilek neighborhoods.
Serdar Cengiz, one of the residents of Kazanlı neighbourhood, reacted to the removal of the tents by the police. He said that they could only set up 14 tents in solidarity and provide shelter for 2 to 3 families in each tent. The tents were, however, removed on the grounds that "there was no official permission". Cengiz demanded that the sheltering problem of the earthquake victims be resolved as soon as possible.
In reaction to the removal of the tents, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Mersin MP Rıdvan Turan blamed the state for being " repressive". Turan remarked that the state neither distributes tents nor allows tenting, calling for the state to abandon its "prohibitive" understanding.
