Turkish veterans continue protest for rights, allege displacement from accommodation

Disabled veterans and relatives of fallen soldiers, who began a vigil in Ankara's Güvenpark on July 13 and were forcibly removed on August 19, have relocated their protest to Kurtuluş Park.

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They tell us ‘Tadilat yapacağız’ (We will do renovations), but they don’t take back those who left. They are evicting those who remain. They want to place veterans close to them, ‘protocol veterans,’ there for September 19th Veterans Day. Many of my veteran friends had to come here with their suitcases.

Gazi Ümit Tepe described the situation to Cumhuriyet, stating that despite denials from the Presidency's Communication Directorate's Disinformation Center, veterans are unwelcome at the Bilkent Gazi Dormitory. "They tell us 'we will do renovations,' but they don't take back those who left. They are evicting those who remain," Tepe said. He alleges authorities plan to house veterans favored by the government for the September 19th Veterans Day.

Tepe recounted their previous protest at the Ministry of Family and Social Services, where they met with Deputy Minister Adil Çalışkan. He felt the deputy minister was not the responsible party and offered only delaying tactics. "He said 'we will solve it, we are doing it, we are working on it,'" Tepe stated.

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He said ‘Halledeceğiz, yapıyoruz, çalışıyoruz’ (We will solve it, we are doing it, we are working on it) – delaying sentences.

The veterans moved to Kurtuluş Park after discussions with security forces and vow to continue their vigil. "The people we demand rights from are not standing by their word, they are putting us in a difficult position. We all use psychiatric medication. We are all severely disabled," Tepe expressed. He added, "We are saying, 'take us and go, or kill us.' But they don't show that courage. We are trying to remain calm, dignified, and uphold the honor of our veteran status and our martyrs' families, as citizens of the Republic of Turkey and soldiers of Atatürk."

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The people we demand rights from are not standing by their word, they are putting us in a difficult position. We all use psychiatric medication. We are all severely disabled. We are saying, ‘take us and go, or kill us.’ But they don’t show that courage.

Tepe found the early morning eviction from Güvenpark particularly hurtful, comparing it to a hunter's treatment of a rabbit. "To have projectors shone on my friends, each disabled, crippled, veterans who gave their limbs for the country, and for 8-10 police officers to push them away at dawn... This upset me greatly. We are not a terrorist organization, we are not drug dealers. To do this to a veteran of the Republic of Turkey and then let PKK terrorists be treated with smiles," he said. Tepe appealed to all segments of society and NGOs for support, stating, "We are your children."

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To have projectors shone on my friends, each disabled, crippled, veterans who gave their limbs for the country, and for 8-10 police officers to push them away at dawn… This upset me greatly. We are not a terrorist organization, we are not drug dealers. To do this to a veteran of the Republic of Turkey and then let PKK terrorists be treated with smiles.