We march sensing that they are at our sides

 

Relatives of our newspaper’s detained columnists and managers accompanied CHP General Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on the tenth day of the Justice March. Our detained colleagues’ relatives, speaking to Kılıçdaroğlu about the significance of the march, said, ‘We march sensing that they are at our sides. We want justice.’ On the day before Eid, the Justice March continued on its tenth day from Köroğlu locality, where an overnight stay had been made. Prior to the march, Kılıçdaroğlu, thanking the ‘groups, friends, musicians, sportspeople and ordinary citizens’ who were taking part on the march, said, ‘I send Eid greetings to all my citizens. I wish for Eid to bring calm, peace and health to the country.’ Kılıçdaroğlu, saying, ‘Turkey has suffered greatly from tension. We suffer great anguish from tension,’ commented, ‘I also hope for a Turkey in which we can escape tension. In these terms, it is very important that this march is a “justice march.” The justice march will add extra significance to Eids. It really gives me no pleasure to speak of a Turkey that suffers from tension and polarisation and uses rhetoric that more or less creates new enemies. The shared yearning of all of us is for a Turkey that lives together, engages in civilised debate and is capable of coming together. This is the basic aim of all of us.’

Call for common sense to Egypt

Stating that he wanted to touch on a matter that caused him deep distress at this time of Eid and Ramadan, Kılıçdaroğlu said with reference to the executions in Egypt, ‘We all know that political executions will bring no benefit to any society. Turkey in particular has been through this and suffered great pain. We have later commemorated and embraced the politicians we at one time executed and have named airports, roads, streets, reservoirs and schools after them. But, the dead person does not come back. Consequently, I wish to openly call out to the rulers in Egypt and the fraternal Egyptian people: Tomorrow is Eid and so executions will bring no benefit to society. If you want to see, turn and look at Turkey’s history. Blood is being shed throughout the whole Islamic world and there are tears throughout the whole Islamic world. I hope this call for common sense will be heeded and over this Eid at least there will be no pain, blood and tears.

We also want justice

The families of our paper’s detained columnists, cartoonists and managers also came to the Justice March to support Kılıçdaroğlu. Our paper’s Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu’s wife Eylem Sabuncu passed on Murat Sabuncu’s message of greetings and support to Kılıçdaroğlu. Executive Board Chair Akın Atalay’s wife Adalet Dinamit, for her part, speaking of how significant she found the justice march to be, commented, ‘We as those who are bereft of justice are here to support this march on behalf of all detained husbands. We also want justice.’ Dinamit, said ‘The judicial system functions very slowly. Our husbands are still inside, and have been for eight months. Orders are constantly given for detention to be extended citing flight grounds. This is to punish people in advance.’ Our cartoonist Musa Kart’s wife Sevinç Kart, stating that the march was very significant, said, ‘Everyone who is taking part on the march is assuming a historical responsibility. People from all circles who object to injustice and unlawfulness are converging on this march. It is very important for us in these terms. Today is the 237th day on which our relatives have been in prison. We are undergoing slightly different emotions from the participants on the march. We march sensing that they are at our sides. But, I believe that this march will in the end secure justice.’

They marched in their robes

Following the press statement, Kılıçdaroğlu started the tenth day of the Justice March along with lawyers registered with various bar associations, chiefly Istanbul and Ankara. Muhterem Aktaş, speaking on behalf of the lawyers, said, ‘We are here for the law and justice. Justice is for society what water and bread are for people. We will seek justice until we find it.’

Nazlıaka in the procession

Independent Ankara MP Aylin Nazlıaka, who has been expelled from the CHP, also accompanied Kılıçdaroğlu on the march.

Grey wolf gestures from Kılıçdaroğlu

There were cheers from drivers who had pulled over onto the hard shoulder of the motorway. Apart from citizens who made the victory sign and held their fists in the air, it was noticeable that many people greeted the procession with the grey wolf gesture. And Kılıçdaroğlu replied in kind with the grey wolf gesture to citizens who made the grey wolf gesture.

Fifteen kilometres walked with a single break

The tenth day of the Justice March set out from Bolu’s Köroğlu locality. There was a walk of eight kilometres to the first resting point of Çaydurt locality. Kılıçdaroğlu, who has previously been taking two breaks per day, only took one break yesterday due to the lack of a suitable point on the route. The tenth day of the march was completed after the second seven-kilometre leg. At the end of the tenth day, they settled into the camp site set up at Bolu Organised Industrial Zone. Eskişehir Tepebaşı Municipality greeted the marchers with a concert. The workers performed the march ‘Live, Mustafa Kemal Pasha, live’ and the folk song ‘I am on a long, narrow road.’

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