CHP leader Özgür Özel: 'Adil Karaismailoğlu was going to be made Mayor of Istanbul'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made statements regarding the current agenda and the Extraordinary Convention to be held on Sunday, April 6. Regarding the boycott on April 2, Özel said, "We also supported the youth's 1-day consumption boycott." Özgür Özel stated, "Adil Karaismailoğlu was going to be brought in as the Mayor of Istanbul if the 'coup' had succeeded."

Here are the highlights from CHP Chairman Özgür Özel's statement:

-We will hold our extraordinary convention on April 6 at 10:00 AM. This is a challenge.
We are gathering our convention at the Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center with the same delegates against those who attempt to appoint trustees to a party that carried out the War of Independence and those who try to tarnish the festival of democracy.
It is a convention open to all members. There is only one agenda item; that is the election.

-We welcome all young people, social democrats, and conservative democrats who meet us in democracy to our convention.

Our delegates will give the answer at the ballot box, and our nation will give it both at the ballot box and at the Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center. After completing the convention at 4:00 PM, we will meet with our citizens. After the convention, we will speak to hundreds of thousands outside the hall. We will hold a 'Freedom for İmamoğlu' rally every weekend.

THE ARREST OF İMAMOĞLU

- Adil Karaismailoğlu was going to be brought in as the Mayor of Istanbul if the coup had succeeded. It is clear what the upper-level list of the coup would have done if it had succeeded. Whoever they targeted, they put them inside.

- They accused Mayor Ekrem of corruption and terrorism. We unraveled the issue from the beginning like a loose thread. In July, the nation's favor for the CHP, the local election vote; even though we knew that a significant portion of that vote was entrusted, when they told the CHP, which was opening the gap with the AKP—which was polling above the local election results in some polls in July—to break this, they took the first steps regarding the lieutenants, and then in July, they called it a "shake-down" by saying, 'squeeze them financially'...

- You can also see why Ayşe Barım was taken. Suppressing journalists, intellectuals, and artists, 'one day we will do something so that no one has the courage to tweet...' Even after 12 years, they are still holding people accountable for the Gezi events.

"BROADCAST IT LIVE ON TRT"

- I am here to put a major new issue on the record. Our claim, our demand is: broadcast the trial live on TRT. Try Mayor Ekrem without detention, ask Mayor Ekrem the questions, and let the nation see the answers.

"THERE ARE PEOPLE BEING FORCED TO TESTIFY"

The issue of false witnesses is before us as a forced major crime by some. Unfortunately, there are people who are being forced to testify at the Çağlayan Courthouse. I am specifically advising those people not to get involved in the crime.

BOYCOTT STATEMENT

We also supported the youth's 1-day consumption boycott. We reacted to these events in a way that everyone can contribute to in their daily lives. Because 301 of their friends are inside. Let's say they are guilty; the accusations do not carry a 1-day prison sentence.

You are imprisoning them for a sentence they shouldn't be serving, like Mussolini. You left children who wouldn't spend a single day in prison even if you gave them the maximum sentence away from their families during the holiday. When we supported the boycott decision yesterday, those who don't go out to the streets all went shopping. I made everyone hear about that boycott, didn't I? Oh. They are brave young people; they did it, and I supported it. You took the basket in your hand and went there and ran a communication campaign. There is no problem with the awareness of the boycott. God bless these communication-poor people. They made the boycott known to those who didn't know, and heard by those who didn't hear. All of Turkey saw the empty shopping malls; who are you fooling?

It was for one day, and as the CHP, we have a special boycott list for those who do not broadcast us and do not see Saraçhane; you can follow it at boykotyap.org. We are constantly boycotting those on that list. We supported the youth's boycott yesterday.

This general boycott was for one day, but there are brands that we are constantly boycotting, and we continue with them. It is allowed to leave tips for employees at boycotted companies, but it is forbidden to pay the boss."

THE KNIFE ATTACK IN TRABZON

Intolerance will never affect all of Trabzon. Someone went with a knife in their hand and attacked. But this cannot intimidate us.