Özgür Çelik Speaks to 12punto: "The Struggle Will Continue, Boycotts Will Expand"

CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik made exclusive statements to 12punto, announcing how the protests that began following the imprisonment of Ekrem İmamoğlu will take shape, the CHP's new roadmap, and that boycotts will expand. Emphasizing that the struggle will not be limited to rallies, Çelik said, "Our struggle will continue until Turkey becomes a democratic country." Announcing that they have launched a major campaign with a target of 30 million signatures, Çelik stated that they believe the demands for early elections, freedom for political prisoners, and the release of İmamoğlu will receive broad public support. He also stated that they are in solidarity with student movements and announced their support for the "stop consumption" boycott planned for April 2.

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"We Are Showing the Will of the People with 30 Million Signatures"

Stating that they have launched a large-scale petition campaign as one of the CHP's biggest moves, Çelik noted that they aim to collect 6 million signatures in Istanbul and 30 million across Turkey. Expressing that the campaign has three main demands, Çelik listed them as follows:

       1.      Freedom for Ekrem İmamoğlu

        2.      Freedom for all political prisoners

        3.      Early elections

Özgür Çelik emphasized that the target of 30 million and 1 signatures was determined by a strategy to exceed the 28 million votes received by the President, saying, "Why are we targeting 30 million signatures? Because the President received approximately 28 million votes in the last election. If we collect more signatures than this figure, we will demand early elections and the freedom of our presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu with the will of more than half of the voters in Turkey. These signatures will show that more than half of the public embraces these demands."

Stating that they will organize rallies and meetings all over Anatolia in the coming period, Çelik said that they will also come together with the public in Istanbul at locations such as Şişli, Beylikdüzü, Esenyurt, Beşiktaş, and Beykoz.

What will happen with this "boycott" and "student movements"?

Stating that they are also closely following student movements, Çelik expressed that they are providing legal support for students who have been detained or arrested. Noting that they support the consumption boycott planned by students for April 2, he said, "As the Republican People's Party, we have a call for a boycott. We will stand against media organizations that specifically close the eyes and ears of the public. We will also boycott brands associated with these channels. We have created a website and decided to boycott media organizations under the control of the government. We will expand the process by also boycotting brands associated with these media outlets. A call for a major consumption boycott also came from students for April 2. They aim to stop consumption for one day all over Turkey. As the Republican People's Party, we support this boycott."

So, how long will this struggle last?

Finally, emphasizing that the struggle will not be limited to İmamoğlu's freedom, Çelik said: "This struggle will continue until Ekrem İmamoğlu is released from prison. But it will not end there. Our struggle will continue until early elections take place and the government changes.

However, the ultimate goal of our struggle is for Turkey to truly become a democratic country, for the rule of law to be ensured, and for an environment to be created where young people can express themselves freely.

We are just getting started.

We will continue this struggle very strongly."

News Source: 12punto