Police intervene in DEM Party's 'halay' protest
Gathering in front of the DEM Party Van Provincial Headquarters, party members protested the arrest of numerous individuals in various cities on the grounds of singing Kurdish songs and performing the 'halay' dance. Police intervened in the group, citing the chanting of slogans as the reason.
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According to a report in Gazete Duvar, the protests in Van were attended by Van Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayors Abdullah Zeydan and Neslihan Şedal, DEM Party Van MP Mahmut Dinar, district municipality co-mayors, DEM Party provincial and district officials, and a large number of people.
Police intervened in the group, who were performing the 'halay' dance to the accompaniment of drums and zurnas, on the grounds that they were chanting slogans. Following this, those participating in the protest entered the garden of the DEM Party Van Provincial Organization and closed the gates. Those who remained outside were removed from the street by the police.
While the DEM Party building was placed under a police blockade, a large number of riot police units were deployed to the street.