Protesters march to AKP provincial headquarters against animal massacre: Detentions reported
Police intervened against a group that wanted to hold a press conference in front of the AKP Provincial Headquarters to protest the animal massacre carried out in Gebze. During the protest, some citizens were detained by the police.
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Police blocked citizens who wanted to protest the animal massacre by marching to the Ankara Provincial Headquarters of the AKP, the architect of the 'Bloody Law.' Protesters, including Tuğba Gürsoy, President of the Ankara Bar Association's Animal Rights Commission, were detained.
According to a report by Gerçek Gündem, the enactment of the massacre law prepared by the AKP is causing animals to be slaughtered using brutal methods in many parts of Turkey.
Most recently, a scandal uncovered by animal lovers in the Gebze district of Kocaeli caused public outrage. Approximately 50 animals, mostly dogs, including cats and a crow, were found dead next to trash containers in Gebze.
While the animals thrown into the trash container sparked a major reaction in the country, there was an attempt to protest the slaughter of the animals in Ankara.
DETENTIONS AT THE PROTEST
Police intervened against the group that wanted to go to the AKP Provincial Headquarters to hold a press conference. During the protest, some citizens were detained by the police. The Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) Ankara Organization made a statement regarding the detentions. TİP-Ankara announced that Tuğba Gürsoy, President of the Ankara Bar Association's Animal Rights Commission, was among those detained.
The TİP Ankara Organization stated the following in its announcement:
"Today, right-to-life advocates who wanted to hold a press conference in front of the AKP Ankara Provincial Headquarters against the animal massacre carried out by the Gebze Municipality were detained. Those detained, including our comrades, should be released immediately."
Citizens who want to protest across Turkey are facing obstacles. In İzmir, the İzmir Life Rights Defenders Association faced intervention by law enforcement while trying to march toward the AKP building to protest the massacres in İzmir and Gebze. Police teams stated that they intervened against the group wanting to march on the grounds that they only had permission for a press conference. The IYH group, which insisted on not dispersing after the intervention, carried out a march along Kıbrıs Şehitleri Street.
Additionally, animal rights defenders have started a vigil in Gebze.