As protests continue against the usurpation of HDP municipalities by the Ankara regime on August 19, Workers’ Party Turkey (TIP) MP Baris Atay spoke to the ANF after attending the fourth day of protests in Amed.

Atay said the AKP has once again donned the despotic approach they embraced after the 2015 election defeat, and added that this comes from the fact that the AKP is close to losing power.

Atay said the AKP is emboldened by the silence of certain parts of the opposition to pressure the HDP through trustees, and added that the people resist today at high levels like they did in the previous trustee appointments in 2016.

“I BELIEVE THE CHP LEADER’S STATEMENT WAS WRONG”

Atay said the important thing today is that the opposition as a whole speaks out about the trustees and continued: “I would like to believe that the CHP leader misspoke when he said he doesn’t think street protests are right. I believe it is wrong for such a leader who held a March for Justice and marched with thousands of people from Ankara to Istanbul to say he doesn’t think the right to legitimate defense against such violation of rights. As such, I think we should look at his newer statements to come.”

“THERE IS INTENSE SUPPORT”

“I think there is much more intense support today compared to the trustee appointments in 2016. And that is an important step,” said Atay: “Because the government tried to intimidate HDP with the appointment of trustees, but on the other hand they don’t just appoint trustees to criminalize the HDP, as we can see, they seek to discriminate against some by not putting out fires in Izmir and criticizing infrastructure efforts in Istanbul through the mayor alone. But I believe they also see that the process may move towards the west. Even if it was just for that reason, this support is important.”