Tens of thousands condemn Madımak massacre


2015-07-02 16:08:14

SİVAS (DİHA) - Tens of thousands commemorated the victims of Sivas massacre in 1993. Protestors emphasized that massacre oriented policies continue and invited people to unite through shared sufferings.

Tens of thousands flocked to the protest in Sivas in order to commemorate the victims of Sivas massacre. Protestors emphasized that massacre oriented policies continue and the society should unite through shared sufferings.

Protestors from all over Turkey and North Kurdistan got together in front of Hacı Bektaşi Veki Anadolu Culture Association located in the Seyrantepe neighborhood of Sivas city center in order to protest the brutal massacre where 33 civilians were murdered 22 years ago. From here, protestors marched to Madımak Hotel where the massacre was carried out. Sayfi Sarısülük, mother of Ethem Sarısülük who was killed by the police during Gezi resistance, was one of the leaders of the march.

Pir Sultan Abdal Culture Association (PSAKD) organized the march, which drew the participation of HDP Co-President Figen Yüksekdağ, HDP parliamentarians Ali Kenanoğlu, Turgut Öker, Feleknas Uca and Müslüm Doğan, CHP parliamentarians Şenal Sarıhan and Sezgin Tanrıkulu, as well as representatives from Alevi Bektaş Federation (ABF), Hacı Bektaş Veli Anadolu Culture Foundation (HBVAKV) and other organizations.

'Massacre oriented mentality is alive!'

Protestors carried signs that said "Do not forget Sivas" and "Sivas’ light will not go out," and restated their demands for the transformation of Madımak Hotel into a ‘Museum of Shame.’ Protestors also carried signs that highlighted the shared state-led mentality behind the massacres in Kobanê, Roboski, Gezi and Sivas. At the end of the march, tens of thousands of people gathered in front of Madımak Hotel but the police only allowed parliamentarians and the families of the victims into the street. Police blockaded the street where the hotel is located, as it has done so in previous years. Families of the victims voiced their demands of transforming the hotel into a ‘Museum of Shame,’ and left red cloves as well as victims’ photos in front of the hotel.

Hidayet Yıldırım spoke on behalf of the organizing committee and said that the mentality that carried out the massacre in Madımak Hotel has been alive over the past 22 years. Yıldırım stated that the same state mentality burned a pilot in Syria and the bus driver of a political party in Erzurum recently. Yıldırım emphasized that their struggle is mainly against this mentality.

'Supported gangs carry out new massacres'

PSAKD President Gani Kaplan stated that the murderers were hid and the case was dismissed and later dropped due to prescription. Kaplan emphasized the dangerous dimensions of AKP’s Middle East policies, and said that gangs who receive sectarian AKP aid carry out new massacres every day. Kaplan said that forces that prevent the transformation of the hotel into a museum and write the names of massacre perpetuators inside the hotel could not be the future of Turkey. Kaplan said that anyone who celebrated the prescription of the Sivas case and named the 3rd bridge in İstanbul after Yavuz Sultan Selim, is insulting Alevis in Turkey by saying that he is ‘more Alevi than the Alevis themselves.’ Kaplan stated that they would continue their struggle until Madımak Hotel is turned into a ‘Museum of Shame.’

'This suffering should unite our struggles'

Lawyer of the victims’ families in the Sivas massacre trial, Şenal Sarıhan stated that everyone who show solidarity are the family of the 33 lives that have been lost for 22 years. Sarıhan shared details from the difficulties families of the victims have experienced over the past 22 years, and praised the determination and sacrifice of these families. Sarıhan stated that crimes against humanity should be met with resistance everywhere, and the 22 years long suffering should unite the struggles of different groups. Sarıhan invited everyone to show resistance until the hotel is turned into a museum of shame.

The protest ended with a Semah (whirling ceremony) and Alevi folk song performances.

(nt)