The youth have reached their breaking point!..

Unfortunately, hundreds more of our young people have been added to the prison population!..

The reason: their participation in protests organized to show reaction against the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu.

First, let us note that even judicial circles in Ankara cannot understand the arrest of İmamoğlu. What they are saying is this:

“Since the goal was achieved after his diploma was revoked, where did this arrest business come from, and why was the country dragged into this situation for no reason?”

Presumably, to prevent the discussion and debate surrounding the diploma revocation—which was clearly politically motivated—they wanted to discredit him by detaining him just one day later on charges of “corruption.”

As if anyone in this country has ever been arrested for corruption or discredited during their tenure?!

But perhaps they could not calculate the reaction of society, especially the youth.

Not only could they not calculate it, but so many days have passed; they still have not understood the reason for the reactions.

When Democracy Becomes a “Tram”

For those who consider democracy a “tram” and the judiciary a “tool,” it has no meaning; but let us still recall the views of Erdoğan from the “old Turkey.”

While he was the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, he criticized the state on December 13, 1997, at the “Democracy Symposium” organized against the February 28 process:

“The state possesses an ideology and only strengthens those who are on the side of its own ideology. It tries to render those who are not supporters of its ideology ineffective by excluding them... For us, ‘difference’ is not a weakness or a discomfort that needs to be eliminated. Only totalitarian regimes that do not respect humans and the nation try to destroy differences.”

He made the following assessments regarding democracy and law:

“Using democratic ideals and mechanisms to achieve non-democratic goals is morally wrong... No public interest can ever be superior to fundamental rights and freedoms. No law can undermine the rule of law. Where there is no democracy, there can be no republic; where there is no rule of law, there can be no laws; where there are no human rights, there can be no public interest. This situation would not be an expression of a legitimate state serving the nation, but at most, an illegitimate state that oppresses the nation.”

Ultimately, he emphasized this:

“The human being's love for freedom is a love so great that nothing can easily stand in its way.”

After the Court of Cassation upheld the conviction sentence given due to the poem he read in Siirt in 1998, he said, “When you wound the sense of justice, which is one of our most important common denominators in society, you do not only lead to unjust convictions. You also wound and bleed the legal future of this country and the conscience of this nation. You cannot explain these wrong decisions to your own children or to the world we live in.”

The Children and Youth Did Their Duty, But What About You?

The vast majority of the children and youth who participated in the İmamoğlu protests were born during the AKP era; we will come to that.

As Erdoğan was entering Pınarhisar Prison on March 26, 1999, he addressed the children and youth as follows:

“I want to send a message from here to all our children and youth, from primary school to university. The Turkey of the 2000s will be your bright and beautiful Turkey; but for this, we all need to work very hard. I promise on my own behalf that I will work very hard inside. You also work hard in your schools. Whatever you want to be, be it; train yourself in a way that does justice to it. Work hard to be good engineers, good teachers, good doctors, good administrators, good lawyers—yes, especially good lawyers, I repeat, I repeat, especially good lawyers. I am going to do my homework now, you do your homework well too.” (R. Tayyip Erdoğan: The Birth of a Leader - Hüseyin Besli/Ömer Özbay)

Now, which one should we recount?

The fact that the education system was changed according to every minister during their tenure?..

The fact that the most intelligent children of Anatolia were lost to religious sects and then declared “guilty”?..

The fact that children and youth were trapped in the dilemma of “either Imam Hatip or private school”?..

The fact that not only primary and secondary schools but also universities were homogenized according to the government?..

The fact that while a handful of people were enriched and lived in luxury, families—and consequently the children—tried to study in impossible conditions?..

The fact that they live in an environment where the nation is divided into camps through politics, new “internal enemies” are created every year, and democracy and law are pushed aside as much as possible?..

The fact that they grew up with threats like “Silivri is cold”?..

The great pain they witnessed during the most critical period of their short lives, such as mining disasters, train accidents, earthquakes, and people burning to death in hotels right before everyone's eyes; the fact that they saw these were not held to account and would not be?..

The fact that the spark in their eyes faded in hopelessness, helplessness, and insecurity?..

The fact that even though they became “good engineers, good teachers, good doctors, good administrators, good lawyers,” they were not appointed because they were not supporters of the “new Turkey” ideology, were eliminated in interviews, and were told “if they go, let them go”?..

In short; the problem of the youth is not İmamoğlu. He was just the last straw that broke the camel's back, the heavy burden they never deserved that was placed on their shoulders.

But they do not understand; they do not want to understand or see. Look; they even drew conclusions from Pikachu like “psychological warfare, provocation; an attempt to show lawlessness and vandalism as cute to the youth, destructive civil disobedience” and linked the matter to “foreign powers” again.

If only they would say once, “Perhaps our buttermilk is a bit sour,” and question themselves a little... As if that would happen!..

While the country is in this state and the youth are in prison, happy holidays to those who can celebrate...

Müyesser YILDIZ

March 31, 2025