Reaction against the wave of attack on Özgür Gündem continues. Cumhuriyet, Evrensel, BirGün and Yurt newspapers have protested the court order and called for solidarity.

KÖKLÜ: JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME

Yurt editor in chief Sibel Köklü said, “Journalists produce news for the public interest. Media is the fourth power in democracies, but it has been losing that characteristic in Turkey, a government-approved degree of journalism is expected. But journalism is not a crime. Closing newspapers and arresting journalists doesn’t solve problems, ideas can’t be destroyed this way.” Köklü stressed that journalists should speak out against the pressure put on Özgür Gündem and said, “In such situations, we need to stand together.”

POLAT: APE MUSA’S CHILDREN ARE STRONG

Evrensel editor in chief Fatih Polat likened the current situation to the “Takrir-i Sukun” period. Polat said, “Appointing trustees to DBP municipalities, arresting DBP and HDP administrators, HDP MPs facing arrest and closing Özgür Gündem are complimentary developments. But despite all this, Apê Musa’s children have proven that they are stronger than those who create this oppression with publishing the paper with the headline “We will not bow down” after such a heavy blow.”

Polat called for solidarity from all journalists by saying “Today is the day to stand together, shoulder to shoulder.”

ENGİN: WE MUST STAND TOGETHER MORE

Cumhuriyet editor in chief Aydın Engin said, “We are headed towards a direction where all opposition media will be silenced,” and continued: “I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that Özgür Gündem goes first. AKP government will obviously turn to the Kurdish political movement after they are done with the Cemaat, which seems to be soon. HDP being insistently excluded from all parliamentary efforts is enough evidence for this. The alliance, which can even be called a coalition, with Turkish nationalists and militarist nationalists is another piece of evidence. We have to be ready for extremely tough days to come. We must to stand together more in the face of oppression.”

VARLI: NATIONAL CONSENSUS FASCISM!

BirGün editor in chief İbrahim Varlı defined the closing of Özgür Gündem as a result of “national consensus fascism”. Varlı said, “Fighting against the national consensus is a duty today for all left-socialist and opposition groups. In this sense, it is our duty to be in solidarity with Özgür Gündem.”