The DEM Party did not hold its parliamentary group meeting in Ankara today, but in front of the town hall in Mardin after the municipalities of Mardin, Batman and Urfa’s Halfeti district were usurped through the appointment of trustees by the Ministry of Interior and the dismissal of democratically elected mayors or Monday.

In support of the ousted co-mayors Devrim Demir and Ahmet Türk, who has been replaced by a trustee for the third time in a row, representatives of the parties DP (Revolutionary Party), TÖP (Social Freedom Party), SYKP (Socialist Refoundation Party), ESP (Socialist Party of the Oppressed) and EMEP (Labour Party) attended the assembly in front of the town hall alongside DEM politicians. The co-chairs of the DEM Party, Tülay Hatimoğlları and Tuncer Bakırhan, announced further resistance and demanded respect for the will of the electorate.

Last week, the CHP mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district, Ahmet Özer, was also dismissed and arrested for alleged links to the PKK. Özer is a Kurd, as are the DEM mayors Ahmet Türk fromvMardin, Gülistan Sönük from Batman and Mehmet Karayılan from Halfeti. Tülay Hatimoğulları said that the Kurdish population is being denied the right to elect and be elected.

Hatimoğulları called the trustee regime an unconstitutional coup against the right to vote and democratic local government, warning: “No one should believe that this regime will only harm the Kurds or the DEM Party. All population groups and the entire opposition in Turkey are affected. The AKP and MHP do not accept any other parties. We are prepared to fight this uninterrupted coup with an uninterrupted fight.”

“We repeat our call once again. The solution is in parliament. Everyone should assume responsibility for a solution in the parliament. This will be the real test of sincerity,” said Hatimoğulları and added: “We will continue to oppose the trustees in the spirit of Van. We never recognise these injustices, this slaughter of will and we call on everyone to speak out against it. I invite everyone to a democratic struggle against this coup, to claim their rights, to stand in solidarity and to organise more.”

Tuncer Bakırhan said that the government is hostile to the Kurds and is dismantling fundamental democratic rights under the guise of the ‘fight against terrorism’. According to the DEM co-chair, the trustee politics undermines efforts for peace and a solution to the Kurdish question: “People often ask what the Kurdish question is. The Kurdish question is to knock on the door of Ahmet Türk and Devrim Demir at 5 o'clock in the morning and saying ‘we have removed you from the mayor's office’. The Kurdish question is the drying tree next to the flowing Euphrates River. The Kurdish question is to criminalise all the means of struggle of a people, all their values and rights, to ignore them, to see the Kurds as criminals. You say Kurds should not do politics, you say Kurds should not vote, you say Kurds should not use their language. What should Kurds do? We are explaining what we want and what we are trying to do. Mr Bahçeli, what should Kurds do, Mr Erdoğan, what should Kurds do? I ask all parties in the parliament, what should Kurds do now?”

Bakırhan continued: “The Kurdish question is to isolate Mr Öcalan in İmralı and the DEM Party in politics. Isolating Mr Öcalan in İmralı and the DEM Party in politics will not lead this country forward. It is the greatest evil to be done to this country. Give up this understanding first.

Just last week, the AKP chairman said in a group meeting that ‘the addressee of the problem is my Kurdish brothers’. Which Kurdish brothers is he talking about? The Kurds to whom he has appointed trustees are not Erdoğan's brothers. The Kurds, to whose will a trustee has been appointed, do not believe in this fallacy of brotherhood.

They are avoiding negotiation. Why? Because negotiation is one of the most important stages that shows who is genuine, who is in favour of a solution, who really wants this issue to be resolved. They avoid negotiations because their reality will be revealed if they negotiate. As the DEM Party, we are one of the main interlocutors for Kurdish peace, we are ready for a solution. As it has always been, we do not have daggers in our hands, but doves of peace, and this will continue to be the case. But you have trustees in one hand and oppression in the other. Those who miss this historic opportunity by appointing trustees are doing the greatest disservice to the 85 million people living in this country.

While efforts were being made to solve these problems through dialogue and negotiation, they set traps and ambushes to the people’s expectations for a solution and appointed trustees. This is a historic opportunity for you, the government. Immediately withdraw the trustees and respect the will of the people. Let no one tell us that 'there is a threat in the Middle East and that we should strengthen the internal front'. Is the appointment of trustees the way to strengthen the internal front? Is it to imprison Kurdish leaders? Is it to restrict the freedoms of Kurds? You cannot ensure internal peace with the trustee mentality and trustee regime. We will never give in."