An official ceremony was held at the Taksim Republic Monument as part of the 19th anniversary celebrations of the 106th of May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day. The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, whose freedom was taken away from him in the 19th of March civil coup, and the presidential candidate of the CHP. Ekrem İmamoğluCHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, IMM Deputy Chairman Nuri Aslan and Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney attended on behalf of the CHP. The official ceremony began with a moment of silence for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, his comrades-in-arms and all martyrs, followed by the reading of the National Anthem. The ceremony ended with Istanbul Youth and Sports Provincial Director Muhittin Özbay laying a wreath at the monument. Following the end of the official ceremony, the event organized by IMM began. Aslan laid the IMM wreath at the Atatürk monument to applause that lasted for minutes. The CHP wreath bearing the phrase “The nation is great” was placed at the monument by CHP Istanbul Provincial Youth Branch Chairman Erdem Kara.
ASLAN: “JUSTICE APPLIED TO OTHERS SHOULD BE APPLIED TO US TOO”
Following the wreath ceremony, Çelik and Aslan made statements to reporters in front of the Taksim Republic Monument. Aslan, who took the floor first, emphasized that IMM President İmamoğlu, who became a presidential candidate with the votes of 15,5 million citizens, set out from Silivri, where he was held captive, to build the second century of the Republic of Turkey. Reminding us of Atatürk’s words, “Your shipyards may have been entered, your armies may have been dispersed, the power you need exists in the noble blood in your veins,” Aslan said, “With our General President, our Istanbul Provincial President, our Youth Branch President, we will continue to fight with all our might, our bodies, our blood, our lives for the flag of the Republic of Turkey to fly, for the victory of the nation, for the power of the people. Unfortunately, a person who was elected by the votes of the people of Istanbul three times in a row, in a country where democracy and law are talked about, Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu, is currently under arrest. He is being held captive in Silivri dungeons. What we need to know is this: We are the children of the party that founded the Republic. The only thing we want in this country is law and justice. We want the justice applied to us to be applied to others, and the justice applied to others to be applied to us,” he said.
ÇELİK: “THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING FOR DEMOCRACY IN Türkiye WITH CONFIDENCE AND DETERMINATION”
Speaking after Aslan, Çelik responded to the journalists' question, "Youth is going through very difficult times. What would you like to say about this?" as follows:
“On May 19, 1919, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk set out from Istanbul and landed in Samsun. When Atatürk set out from Istanbul to Samsun, a country was dragged to the edge of a cliff. A people were in poverty and misery. Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk took the first step in Samsun, first started the national struggle, then declared the Republic and presented us with this beautiful Republic. Now, in the second century of our Republic, again in poverty and need, today the institutions of the Republic are being eroded and the democracy of the Republic is being damaged. After Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk declared the Republic, he presented the Republic to the youth. Today, in its second century, in the situation the country is in, the youth are again at the forefront of the struggle. The youth are fighting for democracy in Türkiye with faith and determination. They are fighting for a fully independent Türkiye. We will continue to fight this fight together with our youth. We will get our presidential candidate from Silivri prison. We will get all political prisoners from Silivri prison. Early elections We will bring the ballot box before the nation. And in Türkiye, we will rebuild the institutions of the Republic that Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk entrusted to us. We will reunite these lands with democracy. With these feelings, I once again remember Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms with respect, gratitude and appreciation. Happy 19 May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.”
