Wreath incident at Anıtkabir: CHP leader Özel blocked from mausoleum

An incident occurred at Anıtkabir, Turkey's presidential mausoleum, when the newly elected leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Özgür Özel, was prevented from laying a wreath.

Following a large public Bayram greeting event at Güvenpark, Özel led thousands of citizens in a march to Anıtkabir. During the visit, a crowd gathered, and Özel, along with the citizens, recited the National Anthem and Atatürk's Address to Youth. As they proceeded along the Avenue of Lions, Özel and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş carried a wreath bearing the inscription "CHP Chairman Özgür Özel."

However, the Anıtkabir Command denied permission to place the wreath at the mausoleum, citing the absence of a pre-planned ceremony and closing the iron gates. In response, Özel removed the inscription from the wreath, took it with him, and entered the mausoleum with a limited number of people.

Inside, Özel placed the paper inscription onto a wreath already present at the mausoleum, belonging to the Anıtkabir Command. Following a moment of silence, personnel from the Anıtkabir Command attempted to retrieve the paper. Özel handed it to the police, then to his security detail, before leaving the mausoleum. Thousands of citizens accompanied Özel as he waited on the steps inscribed with "Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation," and took photos with them.

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CHP Chairman Özgür Özel