İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener reacts to 'Great Palestine Rally': 'Couldn't you find another day?'

İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener spoke at her party's Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) group meeting.

SWEDEN DECISION

Key points from Akşener's speech are as follows:

"Unfortunately, the government continues to use every aspect of foreign policy as material for domestic politics. One example of this is Sweden's NATO membership. Mr. Erdoğan had previously said on this issue, 'Hey Sweden, don't bother.' At the final point reached, the government signed the accession protocol. First, they blustered and raged, then they signed it. Didn't we experience this with the Pastor Brunson case as well?

As a responsible opposition, we are making a call. We are not against the expansion of NATO. We are requesting an immediate discussion on this in our Grand Assembly. Let's make the democratic processes work and make decisions together."

"COME AND ARREST US TOO"

İYİ Party leader Akşener reacted to the arrest of editors and editors-in-chief from Ajans Muhbir and Aykırı. Akşener stated the following:

"As the İYİ Party, we will fight to the end against those who portray Turkish nationalism as racism. If Turkish nationalism is to be considered a crime, then we are also Turkish nationalists. We are also guilty. We are honored to be accomplices to this crime. Come and arrest us too. Arrest us and let's see, I challenge you. I don't even have immunity."

"NETANYAHU IS A WAR CRIMINAL"

Reacting to Israel's attacks on Gaza, Akşener stated:

"Israel has turned Gaza into a shooting range. More than 4 thousand Palestinian civilians have died. Children were slaughtered at the hands of Netanyahu. A conflict cannot be this dishonorable, this disgraceful. The facts must be spoken with all their nakedness. And that fact is that Netanyahu is a war criminal, a baby killer. Netanyahu's terror and the Hamas terror that killed young people at a music festival are one and the same. He should be treated like a terrorist. A war crime is being committed in Gaza. The US President is supporting Netanyahu. The US, the supposed symbol of equality, is blatantly sponsoring the most brutal civilian massacre of the century."

CALL TO THE WEST

I want to make a call, primarily to Western countries. Just as it happened in the past in Auschwitz and Srebrenica, the fact that the oppressor comes from among you does not change the existence of the oppression. Stop your efforts to legitimize the massacre.

At the very least, you must show the same attitude toward Netanyahu that you showed toward Putin in Ukraine."

"COULDN'T YOU FIND ANOTHER DAY?"

Finally, reacting to the date of the "Great Palestine Rally" to be organized by the AKP Istanbul Provincial Presidency, Akşener said:

"Unfortunately, even 100 years later, there are still those in our country who have a problem with our republic. There are those who wonder what they can do to overshadow the 100th anniversary of the republic. There were those who would take to their beds every October 29 in the past, and today there are those who celebrate October 29 without Atatürk. Shamelessly, all sorts of things are being said right now, and by members of parliament at that. There are those holding a Palestine rally on October 29. Without any shame, there are those who try to pit the tragedy in Palestine against the republic.

Couldn't you find another day? Would it have killed you to hold it a week later?"