Generation Z!

Istanbul University, one of our most deep-rooted universities with a history even older than our Republic, shared a public announcement on its website on the 110th anniversary of the March 18 Çanakkale Victory. The news that the university diploma of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who transferred to the English program of the Faculty of Business Administration 30 years ago, along with 28 others, had been canceled, hit the public like a bombshell. Yet, just two years ago, the same university had shared a photo of Ekrem İmamoğlu on its social media account during the 55th anniversary of the Faculty of Business Administration, calling him a "valued graduate."

If İmamoğlu, who completed his master's degree at the same university after graduating from the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration, had not announced his candidacy for the Presidency, would the same decision have been made?

Every Turkish citizen with a university degree knows that without a university diploma, one is not granted the right to pursue a master's degree.

The breaking point that has driven university youth to the squares since March 19 is not just the reason for İmamoğlu's detention and arrest, but the cancellation of his diploma, which is a vested right!

University youth rose up with the reasoning: "If İmamoğlu's diploma can be canceled, then the diploma that any one of us earned through years of study, and our right to education, could one day be taken away from us too."

Unemployed graduates also joined them. In the most productive period of their lives, one in every 3 young people who had a diploma but could not find a job was sitting at home. Let us note that the number of these young people whose future has been stolen corresponds to 4 million.

The youth at home have also taken to the field.

First, Istanbul University students took action. They were followed by Istanbul Technical University, METU, and Hacettepe. Student protests spread to universities across the entire country like a butterfly effect. These young people are resisting without profanity. They say, "We are where we have wanted to be for a very long time." They march, saying, "We may have different views, but all of our futures have been stolen. We are tired of the oppression of the youth, the poor, and the laborers. We have reached our limit."

Generation Z, whom we complain about at home for "not even making their own beds," have become the main actors of the Saraçhane rally. They are surprising everyone with their cleverly prepared banners, unconventional slogans, and astonishing actions, and they are teaching a lesson in democracy in the field.

They were just children during the Gezi protests. They were 8-9 years old. They grew up, and today they are in the squares. As the grandchildren of the '68 generation, they are as compassionate as the '68 generation.

In the squares, they are clean enough not to leave any trash behind them.

They are very reactive toward a government that does not hear the voice of the youth, but they are also political enough to keep the CHP in check, and fun enough to play OKEY in front of police barricades.

They are not afraid of detentions and arrests, saying, "We don't have a future in this country anyway. We have nothing to lose."

They are the future of this country. They make up 15 percent of Turkey's population. They were born into technology. They are well-versed in the internet and digital technologies. They have a sense of social responsibility, are sensitive, and are more competent than all of us on social media. Their reaction is not an individual one. It is a reflection of the search for rights, justice, and freedom in the country. It seems they will continue to resist against injustice, inequality, and a lack of future until the order of "legal for me, forbidden for you" changes.

Instead of standing like a wall against the unconventional Generation Z and trying to silence them with detentions and arrests, isn't it time to hear their voices?