Strong reaction from DEM Party to 'interference in education'! 'The government is applying pressure in education as well'

DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları made statements at the parliamentary group meeting.

Here are the highlights from Hatimoğulları's remarks:

"Developments in the world, in the Middle East, and in our country are moving extremely fast. We are witnessing critical processes that concern us all closely.

As we approach the middle of 2025, we are facing many interconnected problems in every corner of the world.

Trade wars and the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, particularly centered on Iran, bring with them the risks of new regional conflicts. To this are added the noisy confrontations continuing in the Asia-Pacific region and the crises growing over energy resources in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean.

We are witnessing how the uncertainty of the far-right and nationalist policies pursued by Trump is increasing. But at the same time, there are also voices of protest rising against this trend worldwide.

We can only describe the current picture as follows: The world has turned into a boiling cauldron.

The issue of 'Tax Tariffs' initiated by Trump is not just about simple customs practices. This has now become a technological, economic, and geopolitical power struggle that affects the entire world.

The fundamental goal of this power struggle is to further deepen exploitation mechanisms.

Tax policies are no longer just fiscal instruments; they have become tools of competition for global powers. Our stance is clear: Taxes must be reorganized in a system that does not burden the people, based on justice and social welfare.

When we look at Europe, we are faced with a picture where resources are increasingly being diverted to armament.

We see a Europe where the system of values is shaken, and law and democracy are damaged. The effects of this are spreading across the continent.

In our age, democracy, equality, freedom, and human rights are being violated; oppression and power politics are being imposed on peoples.

In the Middle East, we see that new fronts are opening. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 27 percent of global arms imports between 2020 and 2024 went to the Middle East.

This picture shows that the region will not be able to escape the cycle of weapons and war for a long time. At the center is Iran. It is not possible for Iran to progress by ignoring Kurds, Balochs, women, and Alevis.

Neighboring countries should assume a constructive role that brings Iran together with its people instead of applying pressure. Otherwise, the fuse of a major chaos in the region will be lit.

In Syria, too, peoples and faiths are being excluded. A transitional government has been established, and a 5-year transitional constitution has been prepared; however, Kurds, Alevis, and other faith groups are not included in these structures. Policies of massacre and violence against Alevis continue.

The peoples of the Middle East are tired of policies of denial, oppression, and violence. This region now wants peace. It demands a democratic transformation.

Repressive regimes have two options: Either they will take the demands of the people into account, or they will continue to struggle with crises. External interventions cannot be prevented without establishing democracy and internal peace.

Yes, the agenda is intense: Trade wars, diplomatic crises, hot conflicts, and growing injustices... But the peoples are not silent about these.

Those who take to the streets in 50 states and 1200 locations in the US alone saying 'Take your hands off,' students raising their voices for Palestine on campuses,

There are millions in Iran and Belgrade resisting for their democratic rights. There are 'End the war' protests in Tel Aviv...

In Turkey, students, women, laborers, the poor; Turks, Kurds, Alevis are on the streets every day for a right!

There is an objection to injustice and oppression all over the world. The peoples of the world are saying, 'Take your hands off us. We want a fair, democratic, and war-free world.'

When the voice of the Gazan echoes in Amed; the voice of the Amedli in Istanbul, and the voice of the Istanbullu in Seattle, the war alliances in the world will have no choice but to take a step back.

Precisely for this reason, the responsibility falling on parties that derive their power from the people, like the DEM Party, and social movements is great.

Our duty is to weave solidarity between peoples, organization, and the peace movement more strongly. It is a necessity to build an internationalist peace movement that transcends borders, both in Turkey and beyond. It is a necessity to grow the struggle.

Greetings to those resisting for peace, justice, and democracy all over the world. Greetings to you all!

In the period since the 'Call of the Century' made by Mr. Öcalan on February 27, unfortunately, a bright picture has not emerged in the name of Turkish democracy. The government has not passed a good test on this issue.

That call was not just a text, but an invitation for a real democratic transformation.

However, as the government ignores this call, the path to democracy has become even more blocked.

One of the moments when this blockage became most visible was the operations against the HDK and the March 19 process.

The voice of the people rising since March 19 is not just a reaction; it is a powerful struggle walking with demands for justice, equality, and freedom.

However, the government wants to suppress this voice. Students are being tortured in the middle of the street, detained, and sent to prison. Many students are still being held in prison. These students must be released immediately.

Police officers who commit torture are given a 10,000 TL bonus. This clearly means a reward for torture. Torture is a crime, and encouraging torture is also a crime.

In addition to all this, the government continues its policies of pressure in the field of education. The purges carried out with political motives against teachers working in project schools clearly have the nature of an operation.

We are calling out to the Minister of National Education from here:

Teacher appointments, administrative assignments, and transfers must be transparent, auditable, and based on merit.

These purges targeting teachers are an attack not only on teachers but also on scientific education and Turkey's democratic future. Abandon these practices immediately.

We stand with the teachers who resist this clear lawlessness and the students who stand by them.

No practice where rights and law are not recognized is legitimate. These policies neither align with democracy nor serve social peace.

If a genuine peace is to be built in this country, it can only be through democratization. Peace is only possible with democracy.

This responsibility is not only the state's, but all of ours. It is the common responsibility of the oppressed, the poor, and the excluded.

We may think differently, we may have different worldviews. But if the demand for justice and democracy is growing, we must also come together for peace and freedom.

As the poet said: 'Which fire can be extinguished alone?' This darkness is burning us all. We will extinguish this fire together.

We trust ourselves. We believe in the youth, in women. Yes, we will succeed. And we will definitely win!"

Peace is one of our most important agendas. We women insist on peace against the male-dominated system that causes wars.

The peace struggle of women is not coincidental. Those who experience the violence, harassment, and poverty caused by war in the most severe way are women.

Yezidi women and little girls were kidnapped and sold in marketplaces. Today, Alevi women in Syria are experiencing the same fate. That is why we women are against war.

From the Black Women to Palestinian women, from Irish women to Kurdish Peace Mothers, women who want peace are resisting everywhere in the world.

Together with our DEM Party Women's Assembly, we are working for the socialization of peace. From Istanbul to Aydın, from Dersim to Antalya, women are paving the way for peace.

We will also be the voice of peace in Parliament. As female deputies, we can establish a common language of peace in Parliament.

Returning to the Istanbul Convention, the implementation of Law No. 6284, stopping femicides; these cannot be achieved without a climate of peace.

The call for a common struggle by the 'I Need Peace' Initiative will be valuable in this period.

Women defend peace against war and life against destruction. We will continue to struggle until the motto of Jin Jiyan Azadi comes to life throughout our geography!

Exactly six months have passed since the Peace and Democratic Society Process, which began on October 1 and was crowned with the historic call of Mr. Öcalan on February 27.

During these six months, we did not stand still for a single day. We worked and strove day and night on a wide line stretching from Asia to Oceania, and from there to Europe.

We met with representatives, embassies, and institutions of many countries. We explained this process and discussed the solution with our delegations.

We traveled all over Turkey, province by province, district by district.

We talked about peace with nearly one hundred thousand of our citizens in its most open and transparent form.

Now, with tens of thousands of volunteer peace soldiers, we have started individual home visits. We are sending millions of letters to places we cannot reach, and we are holding online meetings.

Because we know that; this path is a sacred path. No step taken on this path is in vain. As long as it is in favor of the 85 million, in favor of peace, and in favor of democracy. We have many more work plans. Because we are a party that not only believes but also does what it believes.

And believe me, there is only one truth that all the work we have done so far has shown us: The Kurdish people and the Turkish society want peace. And they want it immediately, now!

Everywhere we go, everyone we talk to supports this process. They listen to the voice of peace.

Most recently, our DEM Party Imralı delegation held a meeting with President Mr. Erdoğan.

As we have shared with the public before, this meeting went positively.

Our delegation conveyed the question marks in the society's mind, our observations, and our suggestions. Now the expectation is that this meeting will accelerate the peace process and open the door to a solution.

Because we have a great opportunity in our hands. An opportunity to make history and go down in history... But let's be clear: Even though two months have passed, we do not yet see a step or a will that corresponds to the call.

The society is speaking clearly, and it has extremely reasonable and rational expectations. They ask us the same question every day:

'Why doesn't the government take a step? Why does this process always proceed unilaterally? Is there a stalling tactic?'

I am also asking the executive branch from here:

While isolation continues, while not a single concrete step is taken; on the contrary, while new anti-democratic practices are put into effect every day, and the threat of trustees continues, what do you think we should answer these citizens? These remain as a huge question mark in the mind of the society.

Unfortunately, trust is not established only with beautiful words; it is established by creating a practical and reassuring concrete ground.

How is this ground provided? By ensuring Mr. Öcalan's freedom of work and communication.

By allowing Parliament to pass a law for the PKK's disarmament process.

By preparing the Democratic Transformation and Peace Law proposal.

By passing this law through Parliament all together.

If we do these as a first step, all of Turkey will take a sigh of relief.

Mahir Polat's release made us all happy. He will now receive treatment in better conditions. We convey our get-well wishes to him.

However, there are hundreds of other seriously ill prisoners inside like him. Countless names like Özge Özbek, Hatice Yıldız, Soydan Akay, Selver Yıldırım, and Hatice Onaran are still struggling with both illness and imprisonment behind four walls.

We are calling out to the government and the Speaker of Parliament from here:

You can take a confidence-building step.

You can act courageously on a humanitarian and legal issue.

The society is waiting for concrete steps regarding sick prisoners and arbitrarily burned executions.

It is unacceptable for the government to try to push the CHP out of politics by using the judiciary and security forces.

Why is this pressure being applied to the CHP? Why is it being tried to be blockaded?

Yet today, the opposition is in a more constructive and supportive position regarding the peace and solution process. This is very valuable.

I am calling out to all the opposition, especially the main opposition party, from here:

Peace is Turkey's common issue.

No matter what happens, we must firmly embrace the solution and peace process.

Just because we are talking about the solution process does not mean we have forgotten the trustee practices.

Why does the trustee in Van close the nursery opened for children? Why does he cancel the transportation cards given to women? Why are the projects made for the people stopped?

The objection of those who had a trustee appointed to their municipality in Istanbul is the same as the objection rising against the will of the people usurped in Van and Hakkari.

The citizen whose will was usurped in Istanbul and the citizen whose will was ignored in Mardin are saying the same thing: 'Take your hands off our will.'

Therefore, we must raise a stronger voice together for peace and a democratic society, and grow the common struggle."

News Source: 12punto