Students detained after METU Spring Festival concert appear in court

Tensions that occurred on the first day of the Spring Festival held at Middle East Technical University (METU) have been brought to the judiciary. Six students, who were detained following police raids on their homes on May 8 in connection with the incidents that took place during the İlkay Akkaya concert held at the Devrim Stadium, were referred to the courthouse today after their procedures at the police station.

The prosecutor's office requested the arrest of two of the six students. The other four students were referred to the duty magistrate with judicial control measures.

Tensions had risen between various groups at the concert organized as part of the traditional Spring Festival at METU. Incidents occurred such as a giant Turkish flag being unfurled by a group in the stands, followed by the artist being booed and glass bottles being thrown onto the stage. Other students in the stadium responded to those making the wolf salute in the stands with slogans of "METU will be a grave for fascism," and the university's private security personnel also intervened in the scuffle.

Shortly after the incident, some groups made posts on social media targeting the students. Following a post by an organization called the "İstiklal Women's Movement" stating, "Expect news of detentions tonight," police raided the homes of the suspected students on the night connecting May 7 to May 8 and detained six people.

In the judicial phase of the process, while arrest was requested for two students, the prosecutor's office requested the application of judicial control provisions for the other four individuals. The decisions to be made by the magistrate will determine the legal course of the incident that took place at METU.