There have been protests against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when he paid a visit to attend an opening ceremony  in Mardin yesterday. While intense security measures were taken in the city, masses in front of the HDP building protested Erdoğan by turning their backs as he passed by.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Mardin to attend an opening ceremony after his visits to Batman, Siirt and Amed for the same reason. He held rallies in the Kurdish cities during his visit under intense security measures and with remarkably little participation. In Mardin, the roads leading to the rally area were blockaded, while snipers were stationed on the roofs of buildings. People in front of the HDP building made the victory sign and turned their backs, while the police encircled the crowd.

The crowd sang the revolutionary anthem "Çerxa şoreşê" and chanted slogans while Erdoğan’s convoy passed and continued to sing and perform the halay afterwards while the police encirclement continued.

In the meantime, many people at the rally area left the scene when Erdoğan started his speech. Police formed a barricade at the field to make the scene look more crowded as there were not many people at the rally.