Tens of thousands of people gathered in front of Madımak Hotel, where 33 intellectuals were burnt alive 23 years ago on July 2. Tens of thousands of people met in Alibaba neighborhood and marched to the site of the massacre in the morning.

Protestors expressed their anger towards the perpetrators of Madımak and other massacres in Turkey, and called upon everyone to mobilize in order to bring these perpetrators to justice. Participants of the protest often chanted slogans such as "Murderer AKP will be brought to justice," "We won’t give in to darkness," and "Those that burnt Sivas also burnt down Cizre." Protestors marched to Madımak Hotel, which has been transformed into Sivas Science and Culture Center.

REQUEST FOR A MUSEUM OF SHAME

Police put up barricades around Madımak Hotel and only allowed the relatives of the victims of the massacre to approach the hotel. Families of the slain intellectuals repeated their calls for the transformation of the hotel to a museum of shame, and emphasized that they would block entry into the hotel until it is transformed into a musem.

'WE WILL BRING THEM TO JUSTICE'

HDP İzmir parliamentarian Müslüm Doğan spoke during the rally and said that those that carried out the massacre in Madımak also carry our massacres today. Doğan emphasized that they would organize more and bring the perpetrators of these massacres to justice.

HDK Co-Spokesperson Gülistan Koçyiğit reiterated the need to bring the perpetrators of the massacre to justice, and said that massacres such as Roboskî and Cizre would not have happened if the perpetrators of the massacre in Sivas were brought to justice.

Representatives of Alevi institutions spoke during the commemoration event in front of Madımak Hotel, and Pir Sultan Abdal Culture Association President Gani Alkan called upon everyone to unite and bring the perpetrators of the massacre to justice.

CİZRE NOT FORGOTTEN

Federation of Alevi Unions in Germany President Hüseyin Mat emphasized that no power could prevent Alevi people and their allies from bringing the perpetrators of Madımak massacre to justice, and criticized Tayyip Erdoğan’s congratulation of the court decision to prescribe the court case on the massacre. Mat said that those that sentence babies and civilians to be massacred in Cize and Silopi are murderers.

Alevi Culture Associations President Doğan Demir stated that they gathered in front of Madımak bravely, and would continue to come here until the perpetrators of the massacre are brought to justice.

'PERPETRATORS HAVE BECOME AKP PARLIAMENTARIANS!'

Hüseyin Özkan, who had lost his sisters Huriye and Yeşim Özkan, spoke on behalf of the families of the victims, and said that Madımak has been burning for the past 23 years. Özkan said that massacres had targeted Alevis in Çorum and Maraş before Madımak, and Alevis would never forget these massacres because they would be massacred again if they did. Özkan emphasized that the perpetrators of the Madımak massacre have become AKP parliamentarians, and said that they would never forget the 33 intellectuals burnt in Madımak.