Olive grove dispute in Parliament: Citizens assaulted, MPs obstructed!
Some MPs and citizens were not allowed to attend the discussions on the omnibus bill, which has been criticised on the grounds that it will pave the way for the destruction of olive trees. While citizens faced harsh intervention by security forces, AKP Commission Chairman Mustafa Varank and AKP MP Nebi Hatipoğlu confronted CHP MPs.
The commission discussions on the bill, which has drawn criticism on the grounds that it will pave the way for the destruction of olive trees, began tensely.
Some MPs were not even allowed to attend the discussions of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources, Information and Technology Commission Meeting. In addition to numerous environmental activists who were unable to enter the TBMM, citizens who managed to reach the entrance to the committee hall also faced intervention.
Members of the National Olive Council who wished to follow the committee meeting were not allowed to approach the hall's entrance by security forces. Some citizens were injured in the ensuing scuffle due to physical intervention.
VARANK ALSO INVOLVED IN THE FIGHT
Commission Chairman Mustafa Varank also participated in the scuffle at the entrance to the commission hall. Varank, a member of the AKP, pushed CHP MPs he encountered at the entrance to the hall. CHP MPs who reacted to Varank were met with intervention from some AKP MPs.
The intervention of Eskişehir MP Nebi Hatipoğlu, who controversially switched from the İYİ Party to the AKP, against CHP MPs attracted attention. Hatipoğlu was seen walking towards CHP MPs Orhan Sarıbal and Ednan Arslan.
While discussions continued regarding the intervention faced by citizens and some MPs, Commission Chairman Varank opened the meeting. Opposition MPs protested the start of the meeting by banging on the commission benches, citing the small size of the commission hall and the ongoing discussions outside the hall.
KICKING AND PUNCHING INTERVENTION
The altercation continued during the meeting. Yakup Şekip Okumuşoğlu, a lawyer with the Turkish Bar Association's Environment Commission, described the intervention he was subjected to, saying, ‘They kicked and punched me.’ Some of the villagers who came from Akbelen to observe the commission and were blocked became ill. As the discussions escalated, Commission Chairman Mustafa Varank adjourned the meeting.
The proposal aims to accelerate the EIA process and allow mining activities in the area where olive trees are located.
Source: Meclis’te zeytinlik kavgası: Yurttaşlara darp milletvekillerine engelleme!
