Last day of Justice March in Turkey completed in İstanbul
The Justice March of the opposition in Turkey has been completed today (July 8). Main opposition party CHP’s (Republican People’s Party) chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who started the march in Ankara last month, entered İstanbul on Friday with around 90 thousand marchers.
Launched in reaction to the arrest of CHP’s İstanbul MP Enis Berberoğlu, the march has become to symbolize the demands of almost all opposition forces in the country.
‘This march is not a march of any particular political party’, the CHP chair had said just before starting off in Ankara; and, it has received the support of a great number of civil society groups; trade unions; artists; and, other political parties, including the second largest opposition party HDP (People’s Democratic Party), whose co-chairs an 9 MPs have been jailed for months.
Kılıçdaroğlu will be finalizing today’s march in Dragos town of İstanbul and a major final public meeting will be held on Sunday (July 9) evening at Maltepe Square, which is only a few kilometers away from Dragos.
‘I will walk to Maltepe Square from Dragos alone’, Kılıçdaroğlu said this morning.
As marchers completed their final walk, they chanted the most symbolic slogan of the Justice March again: ‘Rights, laws, justice.’
Turkey’s democracy and legal system have been greatly jeopardized under the current government of AKP (Justice an Development Party); and, the policies led especially in response to a failed coup attempt of 2016 have left the country in a position where its hundreds of thousands of people unemployed and tens of thousands jailed, including lawmakers, teachers, lawyers, judges, police and army forces, journalists, and more.
During his routine mourning briefing he has been holding since the first day, Kılıçdaroğlu said on Saturday: “There have been a great number of our citizens that expressed support and interest throughout the march. I extend my appreciation to them. And, there were also our citizens who protested. I also extend appreciation to them, too. We have to live the goodness of democracy togehter. And, the marchers and those protesting are actually friends... I would be so content if our political culture also reaches such point.”
Kılıçdaroğlu also thanked the security forces by saying: “When they (security forces) act as the police or genderma of the people rather than of a ruling party, there is no problem between them and the public. We held a peaceful march and they ensured our safety.”
As marchers completed their final walk, they chanted the most symbolic slogan of the Justice March again: ‘Rights, laws, justice.’
At times, small groups of people protested the march from the sidewalks by making Rabia signs.
Turkey’s democracy and legal system have been greatly jeopardized under the current government of AKP (Justice an Development Party); and, the policies led especially in response to a failed coup attempt of 2016 have left the country in a position where its hundreds of thousands of people unemployed and tens of thousands jailed, including lawmakers, teachers, lawyers, judges, police and army forces, journalists, and more.
Source: https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/50-bin-yurttasla-istanbul-a-girdi-168812.html