Thousands of Kurds gathered for mass Civil Friday prayers in Democratic Solution Tents across Turkey to support the broader civil disobedience campaign despite the heavy presence of police in the cities.

Kurds prayed together in the Democratic Solution Tents in Diyarbakýr, Van, Hakkari, Þýrnak, Urfa, Siirt, Batman, Mersin, Adana, Ýstanbul, Antep and many districts such as Yüksekova, Patnos Varto, Malazgirt, Bulanýk, Erciþ, Tatvan, Beytüþþebap, Suruç, Cizre, Derik, Silopi and Viranþehir, Ergani, Kýzýltepe, Lice, Ceylanpýnar and Nusaybin.

All sermons in the tents were in Kurdish and devoted to democratic peace and four demands of Kurds, including receiving education in their mother tongue, an end to military and political operations against the Kurdish people, releasing political prisoners and lifting the 10 percent election threshold, were also on the prayers’ agenda.

Many independent candidates running for office in the upcoming parliamentary elections, who are supported by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and BDP executives, took part in the prayers.

Tousands in Van, where people faced the prohibition of the Governor, passed over the police barricades and performed the Friday sermon. Imam Kerem Kaplan protested the police blockage during the sermon speech. “There is no injustice in Islam. No one is allowed to oppress other. I have known no religion which allows oppression on others,” said Imam Kaplan.

Also in Ýstanbul, thousands performed their Friday prayer despite heavy police presence.