CHP Spokesperson Yücel reacts sharply to claims of 'damage to mosque': 'You cannot intimidate the public with the mosque lie'

CHP Spokesperson Deniz Yücel responded sharply to claims that the Şehzade Mosque was damaged during the Saraçhane protests held against the legal process regarding the removal of Ekrem İmamoğlu from office.

Refuting the allegations voiced by the ruling party front, Yücel stated that no mosques were damaged and that, on the contrary, the maintenance and restoration of mosques are carried out by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB).

''NO MOSQUE WAS DAMAGED, THE İBB IS CONDUCTING THE RESTORATION''

In his statement, Yücel said, "If the CHP takes to the streets, wouldn't the 'mosque lie' come from the government? Of course it would. What is it? That mosques were damaged! Yet, for years, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has been carrying out the maintenance and restoration of that mosque. Mosques are sacred to us all. No one has damaged any mosque."

''SECURITY FORCES CORNERED THE PUBLIC INTO THE MOSQUE'' 

Stating that hundreds of thousands expressed their democratic reaction against lawlessness in Saraçhane, Yücel drew attention to the police intervention:

"This is what happened: Security forces swept the young people and our citizens gathered in Saraçhane with pepper spray and pressurized water, cornering them into the mosque. No one damaged the Şehzadebaşı Mosque or any other mosque. This is a clear manipulation."

Emphasizing that the government's rhetoric targeting the CHP has no connection to reality, Yücel also reacted to the arrest of İBB Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat:

"Stop hoping for help from the lie that 'the CHP is attacking mosques.' The mosque you claim was damaged was being restored by the team of Mahir Polat, whom you arrested on fabricated charges. The facts are clear."

''TAKING TO THE STREETS IS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT''

CHP Spokesperson Yücel stated that the claims put forward to suppress the protests are intended to intimidate society:

"Taking to the streets is a constitutional right. You cannot scare or criminalize our citizens who are exercising their constitutional rights in this way. The demands of this public are clear: Law, democracy, justice, and constitutional guarantees."

Stating that the protests continuing in many provinces of Turkey, especially in Saraçhane, are an indicator of the defense of democratic rights, Yücel concluded his words as follows:

"We are fighting not to make this country lose, but to make it win. We want democracy, we defend the rule of law. Our people will continue to exercise their constitutional rights." 

News Source: 12punto