Commenting on the declaration signed by numerous NGOs led by HDK and DTK against the attempt at elimination and a coup,  HDP Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş announced they have launched a “No” campaign against the coup led by the AKP / Palace and said, “This will not be limited to the parliament and it will be beneficial for the future of Turkey.” Demirtaş called for the forming of a strong bloc.

HDP Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş gave a speech in the meeting for the declaration signed by numerous NGOs led by HDK and DTK against the attempt at elimination and a coup.

Highlights from Demirtaş’s speech are as follows:

“We all share the same worry. There has been a Palace coup in motion since June 7, and the force to stop this coup is the force behind this declaration. We are here today because we trust in our peoples, we are here today because of the fight waged by those who say no to one man’s rule in Turkey and the dictatorship under the guise of the presidential system.

The widespread attack on HDP and DBP is a part of this coup process. Every step he takes is only to take over the country. He has brought the coup process, one step at a time. Everybody knows this, everybody is aware that he is only furthering his own dirty agenda. But we will be his nightmares, as the force that can foil his plans. The man in the palace knows this very well. The obstacles in his way were cleared one by one. He managed to dispose of them. The only force left that he can’t dispose of is the “Us”. The forces who believe in the bright future of Turkey. We can easily say we are hopeful, looking back at the forces behind us. These dark days will definitely pass, with the common stance taken here. We will all see the immunities lifted, but we are calling those who say no to this coup in the Parliament once again. This is not a personal matter that concerns us. If it was about putting us on trial, our cases could be brought singularly and we would have been tried. But AKP has tried to involve the two opposition parties in this coup process. And the main opposition party has chosen to fan the flames instead of analyzing this setup correctly.

“WE NEED TO FORM A STRONG BLOC”

They may not come up with 330 “Yes” votes, so we are launching a “No” campaign. Today’s declaration is a “No to presidency” campaign. The campaign will not be limited to the parliament. We need to build a strong bloc around “No”. This “No” will show the future is hopeful still. This declaration has such a deeper meaning than just support.

The coup of the palace continues as an incomplete process yet. If we had rushed to the Palace gardens and begged for scraps, the coup would have been completed. Imagine that the government is not in a position to take decisions on their own. They can’t decide on anything. The leader of AKP, who the prime minister will be, who the rectors will be, who will write what in what column of which newspaper is decided by the Palace now. Ahmet Davutoğlu is the person who has contributed the most to this one-man regime. Not defending the parliament with his obedient personality, not standing behind those who have voted for him, obeying the Palace, Davutoğlu has provided the biggest support. Davutoğlu also has his name written in history as the perpetrator of massacres. Now his time is up. It seems that more than a hundred per cent obedience is required. This was Davutoğlu’s shortcoming, he had obeyed 99.9% but it wasn’t enough. Now his duty is to publicly expose this understanding leading to the one-man regime. We have issued countless calls, we told them to show a will. We said let’s stop this coup together, let’s create the common understanding that can solve our problems with negotiations. They thought of the monist mindset of the palace more than anybody else.

“MORE THAN HALF THE COUNTRY WANTS ERDOĞAN ON TRIAL”

According to the constitution, a person can’t decide on who the leader of a party will be or when its congress will be held, even if he is the elected President. There is no authority given by the Constitution like this, but he is blatantly doing these things. Davutoğlu said the people will decide on the future of the country, let’s see him come out and say who decides the future of this country now. This is a coup. It can’t be explained with any other concepts. This is dictatorship.

The immunity issue was first voiced by the man in the Palace. It is perfectly understood that the man in the Palace is the only one that wants to see us on trial. He argues this is the will of the people. If it’s the will of the people he wants, we should start with him. More than half of the 78 million population wants him on trial. Half of the country wants him on trial for what he did in Cizre, Sur and Silopi, in Gezi. Heeding to the voice of the people, we need to lift his immunity first.

“THE HISTORIC DUTY HAS BEEN PRESENTED, LET’S MEET IN THE UNITED FRONT”

More than 30 co-mayors have been arrested and removed from duty. Many of them were arrested on nonsensical charges, like being present at a press conference. The local will has also faced a coup. This declaration is a joint declaration to protect the democratic victory our peoples have achieved with tooth and nail, using their own power and to defend against the mindset that wants to abolish this. We have a great accumulation of experience in this struggle. Today, numerous forces of democracy led by the HDK and DTK have presented a historic duty in launching such a campaign to say “No to the coup” and “No to dictatorship”. The days to come are historic days. A snap election can also be brought to the agenda any time now, or a referendum for presidency. This is why we have to carry this struggle in a strong united front against this mindset together.