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CHP's Özçağdaş's sharp response to Minister Tekin regarding the raid in Şanlıurfa: '28 people died during his ministry,

CHP's Özçağdaş's sharp response to Minister Tekin regarding the raid in Şanlıurfa: '28 people died during his ministry, yet he still sits in his chair'

From Cumhuriyet · (1d ago) Turkish Critical tone

Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • CHP official Suat Özçağdaş criticized the Turkish Education Minister Yusuf Tekin over school security following a shooting in Şanlıurfa.
  • Özçağdaş highlighted that 28 people have died in schools during Tekin's tenure, questioning his continued position.
  • The CHP official also pointed out the disparity in how threats on social media are treated compared to insults against the president.

As Cumhuriyet, we are deeply concerned by the persistent issues of violence plaguing our educational institutions. The recent tragic incident in Şanlıurfa, where a former student opened fire, injuring 16 people before taking his own life, is a stark reminder of the escalating security crisis in our schools. Our party's Deputy Chairman for Education, Suat Özçağdaş, has rightly voiced strong criticism against Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, highlighting the alarming number of deaths in schools during his tenure.

Sosyal medya paylaşımları sebebiyle binlerce vatandaş, ‘cumhurbaşkanına hakaret etti’ denilerek tutuklanıyor. Ama asıl takip edilmesi gereken, tehdit ve sorun içeren paylaşımların cumhurbaşkanına hakaret kadar dikkat çekmediğini görüyoruz.

— Suat ÖzçağdaşCHP Deputy Chairman Suat Özçağdaş criticizing the government's focus on social media posts deemed insulting to the president, while overlooking genuine threats.

Özçağdaş's pointed question – how can Minister Tekin continue to hold his position when 28 individuals have lost their lives in schools under his watch? – resonates with the public's growing unease. This is not an isolated event; the article notes at least 15 incidents of violence and armed attacks in the first four months of 2026 alone. The inadequacy of current security measures, including the reliance on police patrols and private security, is glaringly evident.

Bakanlığı boyunca, tespit edebildiğimiz kadarıyla, okullarımızda 28 kişi hayatını kaybetmişken, Yusuf Tekin koltuğunda rahatça oturmaya devam ediyor.

— Suat ÖzçağdaşCHP Deputy Chairman Suat Özçağdaş questioning the Education Minister's continued tenure amidst school deaths.

Furthermore, Özçağdaş astutely draws attention to a critical double standard. While thousands of citizens face arrest and imprisonment for alleged insults against the president on social media, genuine threats and violent intentions, like those posted by the Şanlıurfa attacker, seem to receive far less attention from authorities. This disparity raises serious questions about the government's priorities in ensuring public safety and maintaining order. From our perspective at Cumhuriyet, the safety of our students and educators must be paramount, and a more robust, proactive approach to school security is urgently needed.

Okulun eski öğrencisi olduğu öğrenilen Ömer Ket (19), pompalı tüfekle 10 öğrenci, 4 öğretmen, 1 polis, 1 kantin işletmecisi olmak üzere 16 kişiyi yaralayarak kendi yaşamına son verdi.

— CumhuriyetDescription of the tragic shooting incident at Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Şanlıurfa.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.