İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener criticizes Ekrem İmamoğlu over censorship: 'You are not beholden to palace censorship or municipal censorship'

İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener spoke at her party's parliamentary group meeting.

Akşener made statements regarding the stripping of the parliamentary status of imprisoned TİP Hatay MP Can Atalay and the local elections.

İYİ Party leader Akşener announced that Tire Mayor Salih Atakan Duran is running for re-election.

Highlights from Akşener's remarks are as follows:

"In 2019, we entered the election as partners. Our friend Atakan (Salih Atakan Duran) accepted things out of fear that he might not be re-elected. Atakan was attacked, just as he was yesterday. He did not bow his head then, he was not afraid. Today, in an election we are entering alone, Atakan clearly said, 'I am in.' I will never forget this, and I believe Tire will not forget it either."

As the İYİ Party, we started the week with a significant event. Regardless of their views, everyone in politics is very uncomfortable with us. Former HDP members, now DEM members, and recently we have begun to see clearly that the main opposition is also very uncomfortable with us. This means we are doing the right things for our nation. 

BILLBOARD ALLEGATION

Some want us to run an election campaign without billboards. It is not Beştepe that wants to censor us, but Saraçhane. I can hear you saying, 'Come on, can that really happen?' It is happening.

Now let me tell you the details of the incident; we have 4 slogans. The first is, 'You are not forced to accept either the pressure of a single man or the infighting of co-chairs'

The second is, 'You are not forced to accept those who declare war on the Republic or those who create space for terrorism'

The third is, 'You are not forced to accept either crony media or comrade media'

The fourth is, 'You are not forced to accept those who call you ignorant or those who call you a traitor'

I also added a fifth one; 'You are not forced to accept either Palace censorship or municipal censorship'

I stand before you as a party leader whose car was shot at. We didn't play the 'I am a victim, I am a victim' card. 

We made an agreement with a company in Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. Our billboards were supposed to be put up last Sunday evening and be visible on the streets by Monday. Our billboard visuals went to print, the photos were taken and sent to someone, and a phone call came to the company from Istanbul. 'You will not put these up, soften these.' Moreover, it wasn't just in Istanbul; they were not to be put up in Ankara and İzmir either. And then they get angry when we talk about co-chairmanship. Remember the halls we rented during the referendum process and the meeting process. 

We are the İYİ Party, which launched the 'Movement of the Brave' at a time when no one dared to raise their head during the most powerful and oppressive period of a 15-year government.

Let them try to drive us out of nine villages just because we tell the truth, let them unleash the power of the Palace and the power of the municipality upon us; we are immune to it.

"YOU WILL ANSWER FOR THIS"

Mr. Özgür Özel made a very interesting speech in Eskişehir. He made an accusation against us that went beyond mere insinuation.

I am addressing Mr. Özel from here. You may not know, but in 2017, we campaigned for a 'no' vote. Did the CHP provide any financial aid to Meral Akşener and her colleagues? Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu, you are obligated to answer this.

The most we received were municipal halls for which we paid the fees. We had not yet entered the election, and there was no state financial aid yet. Ask your former Chairman: did 1 lira or 1 kuruş come to the İYİ Party from the CHP and its municipalities in 2018? You will answer for this. It is impossible for me to let this slide. We campaigned by struggling with our own resources.

Mr. İmamoğlu, Mr. Mansur Yavaş, Mr. Zeydan Karalar, did I ever call you to say that such and such money should come from this job? Did I ask for a single lira of contribution to our party? Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu, did I make any demands from you? Since I did not receive a single lira as the Chairman who criticizes the AKP and its government and whom Akşener said she would have imprisoned, such a thing is already impossible from the AKP. 

You are the ones who are indirectly forming an alliance with the AKP, not us. I will ask this question in every speech; everyone will know their place and their boundaries.

CRITICISM OF TUNCELI AND THE DEM PARTY

When it comes to talk, they act as if they are the greatest Atatürkists themselves. While one side walks with every dishonorable person who is an enemy of our Atatürk, the other side cannot even say the name of our province, which was personally named by Atatürk, in order to appear charming to that well-known nest of evil. They cannot say Tunceli. For example, when it comes to talk, they act as if they are protecting our Republic. While one side walks hand in hand with HÜDA-PAR, which never lets federalism and autonomy off its tongue, the other side cannot and will not separate itself from the DEM-minded people who view the Republic as 100 years of destruction and persecution.   

REACTION TO THE CAN ATALAY RULING

The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) has accompanied the legal scandal caused by the Court of Cassation by refusing to recognize the constitution. The legislature has also received its share of the executive's pressure on the judiciary. Erdoğan, who should be resolving problems between state organs, prefers to deepen the crisis. For these friends, the state and the law have become insignificant. There is one thing they have forgotten; our constitution is the oath of this country. On what will they base the legitimacy of the decisions they have reached? No matter how much they may have forgotten, we will not forget our obligation to history and our responsibility to future generations. 

GENOCIDE CASE

I want to make a call to the government once again; countries that are parties to the UN Genocide Convention have the right to intervene in the case. Come, let us also intervene in the case in favor of Palestine. It was not you, but South Africa, that showed the courage to file this case against the murderer Netanyahu. If you agree with us on the issue of Palestine, then come on. Bring the decision to our Veteran Assembly, and we are in. 

"WE WILL REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ASYLUM SEEKERS"

We will never allow the economy of illegal migrants and asylum seekers to pass. We will never turn a blind eye to illegal businesses that do not pay taxes. When we take over the authority, we will never allow behaviors that disrupt social order in social facilities and recreational areas. In service procurement, we will definitely seek features such as suppliers being local and national. We will terminate the contracts of those who change these after the contract is signed. We will not allow any foreign national to work in our institutions. In all municipalities where the İYİ Party operates, we will reduce the number of asylum seekers.