İmamoğlu addresses citizens in Beykoz! "You are the ones who will put an end to this oppression"

Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (TBB) and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu visited Firdevs Köseler, the wife of Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, who has been in custody since February 27, at their home in Beykoz before the iftar.

Later, İmamoğlu met with members of the Beykoz Municipal Council at the Beykoz Municipality Yalı Library; he then attended an iftar at the Beykoz Municipality tent with the participation of approximately 1,000 citizens, including CHP TBMM Group Deputy Chair Ali Mahir Başarır, CHP Deputy Chairmen Gökan Zeybek and Sevgi Kılıç, CHP High Disciplinary Board Chairman Turan Taşkın Özer, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, PM members, deputies, and district mayors.

"OUR MAYOR ALAATTİN KÖSELER SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE"

After breaking his fast, İmamoğlu gave a short greeting speech, summarizing the following:

"Our Mayor Alaattin Köseler should have been at this podium this evening. He should have been the one greeting you. We send our love and respect to him from here. It is truly sad that he is not among us right now. In fact, he is not free. Unfortunately, he is in custody, and I will talk about what this practice means with our citizens in front of the Beykoz Municipality at 8:30 PM, and I will explain it there. I do not want to include this issue in the Ramadan table. But I will talk about it there. We invite you there. Please come, let us share our troubles, let us talk about how law and justice are necessary for everyone. On this occasion, I will only say this at this table: We promise that we will work at the highest level so that the oppressed do not fall victim to the cruelty of the oppressors, both in this country and anywhere in the world, and that we will show the greatest effort not to give opportunities to oppressors in the name of humanity and our country. May God protect these beautiful people, the people of this land, from the cruelty of oppressors. May He grant the most just days to every person in my country. Wishing for a very beautiful future, believing that we deserve to be a country where wealth, not poverty and scarcity, is discussed, I hope we reach those days as soon as possible and I pray to the Creator; may God clear your path and our path. May your table be abundant with blessings."

Başarır, Kılıç, Çelik, İmamoğlu, and their accompanying delegation met with citizens who gathered in front of the Beykoz Municipality despite the rain after the iftar. Çelik and İmamoğlu each gave speeches to the enthusiastic crowd. Stating, "We are in the most beautiful country in the world, we are in the most beautiful city in the world, but unfortunately, as a nation, we are showing our reaction and coming together for issues that do not befit this country, this paradise homeland, and this beautiful city," İmamoğlu said the following:

"WHAT KIND OF OPPRESSION ARE YOU MAKING THEM SUFFER?"

"If he were to come out here tonight as the host, give you a nice speech, congratulate you on Ramadan, talk about the beauties of the holy month of Ramadan, and if we held this night here for another occasion with our Mayor Alaattin Köseler, how nice it would be; wouldn't it? But unfortunately, due to the bad practices we have been experiencing for a long time, our Mayor Alaattin Köseler, a child of this city, of Beykoz, born and raised in Paşabahçe, 65 years old, beloved by Beykoz and elected mayor with the high preference and support of our citizens in the last election, our dear friend... My dear citizens, I express this with the beautiful feelings of the month of Ramadan and with a truly burning heart; that mind that decides to arrest and detain that person unlawfully by knocking on a door at 4:00 AM, by searching that house, and by unfortunately using our police as a tool... Look, 4:00 AM. Tomorrow, meaning the morning of this night, it will be 4 days. If you were in a hurry, what kind of oppression are you making these people suffer by keeping them in custody since that hour? What is your problem?"

"WHAT IS DONE IS DONE TO THE PEOPLE OF BEYKOZ"

"Look, this cannot be done to these people, it cannot be done. This oppression done to Alaattin Köseler, this pressure put on our dear Mayor, this unjust practice, this unlawful practice, let me tell you, is actually being done to the people of Beykoz, an attempt is being made to teach the people of Beykoz a lesson. A week ago, one evening, someone came to this municipality with a document and files were requested from here with that document. It is seen that; when the barcode there is scanned, there is no equivalent for the file. It is seen that; the name mentioned there as a signatory does not actually have a signature on that document. Of course, when they came to take the file with this document, our Mayor acted so upright that he said, 'This document is invalid. But if you want, I will bring it again, let alone asking for the file here, we will deliver it ourselves.' But the mind that could not get what it wanted that evening moves on to another operation with rage, violence, excitement, stress, and to vent its anger. My dear friends, we do not swallow these things. Look; our courage, you know, cruelty, cannot measure it, it cannot. No one can measure our courage with pressure. We are not those who get our courage from a handful of people or one person. We get our courage from the nation, from you."

"THE SENSE OF DUTY WE HAVE..."

"My dear fellow citizens; the holy month of Ramadan tells us, 'Share.' The holy month of Ramadan tells us, 'Do good. If someone is lacking something, if you have it, complete it. Be with the poor. Be with those in need.' I spoke with our Provincial Chairman and our Beykoz Council members elected by the nation who are here just now. Each of them said, 'In this process, we will fulfill our duty completely without leaving a single need of the citizen unmet. Even if it is for a day, even if it is for a few days, we will not make the absence of our Mayor Alaattin Köseler felt. Because we accept the seat we occupy as the honor of our nation. We are ready to do it justice, we will,' said our council member friends. The sense of duty we have, our view of the duty as the honor and trust of the nation, is the basis of our service. My dear fellow citizens; in the month of Ramadan, the most talked-about thing in all of Istanbul and all of Türkiye is poverty. Isn't that so? The economy is in ruins. Isn't that so? You also hear people's desperation. Isn't that so?"

"THE NUMBER OF THOSE REQUESTING SOCIAL SUPPORT FROM İBB HAS DOUBLED"

"Look, let me give you an example. The number of those requesting social support from our Metropolitan Municipality between the same months of last year and this year, that is, December, January, and February, has exactly doubled. In other words, people have no food in their homes, no jobs, they are hopeless; children and young people are now tired of today's attitudes and behaviors. They are tired of injustice. They are tired of the bad economy. Look, as a nation, we are staying away from many developments in the world. We are surrounded by a ball of fire. A new world order is being established. A new world is being built. While a new world is being built in technology and in the attitudes and behaviors of countries, here, a mind is acting cruelly to protect its own seat. Steps are being taken regarding the existence of an unlawful order. Our disrepute is growing. Our heads are bowing down. As a nation, each of us is paying the price for this. The nation is paying the price for this. Is there a chance to be well where there is no economy or justice? That is why, my dear fellow citizens, we are in a great struggle."

"THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON FOR THE OPPRESSION BEING INFLICTED: THE FEAR OF LOSING THE SEAT"

"Our Mayor Alaattin Köseler and his friends are perhaps in custody right now. Our Beşiktaş and Esenyurt Mayors have unfortunately been in prison for weeks, for months. Look; the indictment for Esenyurt was written after 110-120 days. They are making us suffer these troubles. But our nation is aware of this. Our nation knows this; this oppression is not being inflicted because there is an injustice or lawlessness there. This oppression is not being inflicted here because there is an injustice or lawlessness. Do you know why? There is only one reason for it being done: The fear of losing the seat. The fear of losing the seat. Do you know what this fear means? Do you know what the first ballot box that will come before the public will do? It will send them to their homes, to their homes. It will send them to their homes. The nation is tired of them. We will fight together, my dear fellow citizens. We will also fight against lawlessness. We will show our resistance."

"YOU ARE THE HEROES WHO WILL PUT AN END TO THIS OPPRESSION"

"Ahead of us, there is a historic decision taken by the Republican People's Party. There is a primary election decision. Our members, hundreds of thousands of our members, will go to the ballot box and choose their own presidential candidate at the ballot box. This is a revolution. Its name is the democracy revolution. Do you know what this democracy revolution means? This revolution scares the current government the most. Do you know the reason? Everything there is between two lips. We, on the other hand, say, 'We are bringing the ballot box to our nation's feet.' Because we say, 'Whatever the nation says, that happens.' Because we say, 'The nation is great, my brother, the nation is great. And sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation.' These words, this attitude and behavior, are the reason they are inflicting these oppressions because it scares them. But we will not give up, we will be determined, and we will succeed together. Are we in? Are we with our Mayor Alaattin Köseler? May God reform them. May God give them wisdom. May the nation bring them to their senses at the ballot box. May your prayers be accepted. May your month of Ramadan be blessed. I love you all very much. You are the heroes who will put an end to this oppression. May your path be clear. Our solidarity will continue. Our resistance will continue. What do we say? There is no salvation alone... And I say; there is no salvation alone; come on, all together to the ballot box."