DİYARBAKIR - Protesting the arrival of Erdoğan in Diyarbakır, the people of Diyarbakır said: "He shouldn't show up here if he doesn't solve the Kurdish question. It is better he doesn't come. He can go elsewhere."

 

AKP's President Tayyip Erdoğan will come to Diyarbakır today to participate in a 'mass opening ceremony'. Erdoğan is expected to visit the people waiting in front of Diyarbakır HDP building, claiming that their children were abducted by the PKK following a prayer in Kurşunlu Mosque in Sur, which was destroyed during the curfews in Sur district. Erdoğan will later speak at a 'mass opening' at 17.00. Ahead of his visit, people were subjected to police harrassment, people of the city were stopped by the police, their identity cards were checked, the shops located in his route was visited by the police, again, controlling their ID cards. Banners were hung all over the city while multiple roads were closed to traffic.

 

We extended our microphone to the people of Diyarbakır regarding the visit.

 

'IT HAS NO VALUE' 

 

Abbas Öngöl who stated that he did not know why Erdoğan was coming to the city but he thought that it could be a canvassing situation, said the visit has no value for him or the people. Öngöl said: "I am 40 years old. Nothing changed in my entire life. They say 'we are brothers and sisters with the Kurds' in front of the cameras. I say, we were already brothers and sisters before you. We will be brothers and sisters when you're gone. See how poorly the people are doing. I am telling this especially to Erdoğan. No one cares who comes and goes to Diyarbakır or any other city. They think about if they can bring bread to their homes at night. Him visitin Diyarbakır has no value for us."

 

Stating that he came to the city on different occasions before, Yavuz Çiçek said: "Who did he help? They ignore the problems of the people living in the Kurdish cities. People are hungry, discriminated. We are attacked when we go to west. The government protects our attackers and encourages them. Are we the sinners of this country?"

 

THE SOLUTION TO THE KURDISH QUESTION

 

Murat Bingöl a bus driver told that everytime Erdoğan comes, the roads are closed to traffic and they are harassed. Bingöl said: "He shouldn't bother to come here. We are being harassed everytime he comes. Thousands of police shows up in our streets every time he comes and fines us. Prevent us from working. We don't want any kind of state officials here. We can manage ourselves. If Erdoğan solves the Kurdish question everyone will respect him. This is our demand as the Kurdish people. His arrival means nothing to me."

 

35 year old Abdurrahman Gümüş also demanded a solution for the Kurdish question and said: "All of his statements hurts us. Kurdish question is a real thing. Everyone knows this. They know it as well. They are covering it up for their interests."

 

Mustafa Altan who criticizes Erdoğan's arrival said: "We have never welcomed him and we never will. What does he want from us? He only builds prisons for us and lock us in. Then he says we are brothers and sisters. He decieves the Kurds. He can go to Zonguldak, Trabzon, not Diyarbakır. We don't want him here. We want Selahattin Demirtaş."

 

Aziz Yıldırım said: "Kurds are angry with him. We are hurt. No one would go welcome him if he doesn't bring them with him. He usurped the rights of the Kurds and appointed trustees. He ended all relations with the Kurds in Dolmabahçe meeting." 

 

THOUSANDS OF RIOT POLICE AND SOLDIERS IN DIYARBAKIR

 

While the people protest Erdoğan's arrival, the streets of Diyarbakır is filled with riot police and soldiers. Multiple roads are closed to traffic. Police and gendermerie units were brought from  Urfa, Malatya, Bingöl, Elazığ, Mardin, Batman, Muş, Siirt and Şırnak with buses.

 

 

MA / Ergin Çağlar - Mehmet Erol