CHP left in the dark again at its 30th rally on the 100th day of 'black days': Lights went out while Özel was speaking

On March 23, the 100th day since the imprisonment of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, the CHP held a major rally in Saraçhane titled "100 Days of Shame." Tens of thousands of citizens gathered in the square for the rally.

Özgür Özel posted a note on his social media account regarding the broadcast he started for the rally, stating, "We are in Saraçhane! We are shoulder to shoulder again at the 30th protest on these 100 black days, right where the resistance began!"

Former CHP Chairman Hikmet Çetin arrived in Saraçhane to support CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and the imprisoned Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu.

In his speech at the venue, Çetin said, "We all need to gather around the Chairman; everyone must do this."

The Victory Party (Zafer Partisi) decided not to attend the rally. Ümit Özdağ stated, "This is not our rally, it is the CHP's rally."

 ÖZEL BEGAN HIS SPEECH WITH LINES BY Nâzım Hikmet

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel began his speech with Nâzım Hikmet's poem 'The Struggle for Freedom'. 

Özel began his speech with a Nâzım Hikmet poem: 

"The day is not yet that day, do not fold up the flags.

Listen, what you hear is the howling of jackals.

Close the ranks, children; this fight is against fascism, this fight is a fight for freedom," he recited.

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL: THERE IS A JUNTA LEADER AT THE HEAD OF THE COUP

Highlights from Özel's speech are as follows: 

"Today, we are once again together where it all began. Today, we are once again together in the place where it all began, standing against someone's plans, schemes, and the conspiracy plots they have set up, and against the calculations that say 'Ekrem is finished, CHP is finished.' We are in Saraçhane.

On the 100th dark day of justice and democracy, the 104th day of the March 19 coup, and the 100th day of our Mayor Ekrem's imprisonment, we are all together in the home of the nation on this day of 100 disgraces.

"YOU ARE THOSE WHO DO NOT BOW DOWN TO FASCISM"

Dear young people, dear laborers, retirees, we are all here together. Look into my eyes, I am looking into yours. You stood together, shoulder to shoulder, side by side in Saraçhane for seven days and seven nights, starting on March 19. You shouted for justice in the darkness of the night. You defended our unity and our togetherness. You defended your will. You stood behind the person you elected. You are those who do not bow down to fascism, to coup plotters, to the junta. I am proud of all of you.

"THOSE WHO THREW THEM INTO DUNGEONS ARE SEVEN LEVELS UNDERGROUND"

Today is the 100th day of our Mayor Ekrem's imprisonment. On the 100th day, we are once again in action in Saraçhane. We are not here to gather or hold a rally; we are here to take action and achieve results.

On the evening of March 19, we gathered in this square knowing that we would not be saved alone, that we would fight together, and demanding freedom not only for Mayor Ekrem, but for all our mayors, all political party leaders, and all political prisoners. I am glad we came, I am glad we put up this fight, I am glad we are together. Our friends may be in dungeons, but their morale is high, their motivation is high, they believe, 'We are right and we will win.' Those who threw them into dungeons sit in palaces, but they are seven levels underground. They are afraid, they will lose, they will lose.

"THE NEWS BROADCAST ON TRT IS THE MANIFESTO OF THIS COUP"

That day, on March 19, we called what we experienced a coup, and we said that like all coups, the target of this coup was a person and a place, but its main target was the will of the nation. Every coup has a manifesto. This one did too. The news they served on March 19, claiming there is 550 billion lira in corruption and that İmamoğlu is a criminal organization, is the manifesto of this coup. Like all coup manifestos, it was first read on TRT. It was spread everywhere. However, it was rejected by the conscience of the nation. The nation did not believe it and repelled both the coup and the coup plotters.

Every coup has a plan. The plan of this coup was to cancel the diploma on March 18 and to go to Mayor Ekrem's house with hundreds of police officers on March 19. This coup did whatever it planned.

"ERDOĞAN IS NO LONGER THE PRESIDENT, HE IS THE HEAD OF THE JUNTA"

Every coup has a junta at its head. This coup also has three prosecutors, three judges, three secret witnesses, and slanderers, and at the head of this coup is a leader, a junta leader. Someone whom the nation elected as president in the past and gave authority to, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is no longer a president, he is a junta leader, a junta leader.

HE SPOKE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO FATİH KELEŞ AND HIS FAMILY

In these 100 days of darkness, they have persecuted people, children, spouses, mothers, and fathers. As I was leaving the hall where we discussed the 100 days of darkness of this coup today, a mother and a sister came up to me. They said, 'We had told you not to say anything until today,' 'Do not speak out.' You didn't, you didn't speak out. But after seeing the sentiment in this hall today, they said, 'Now speak out, let everyone know,' and let us say this...

"FATİH KELEŞ WAS FORCED TO SLANDER! HE NEVER STOOPED TO THAT"

Fatih Keleş, the head of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Sports Club, was first taken to Silivri and then to Kandıra Prison. He was repeatedly summoned to Çağlayan and kept under pressure by a chief prosecutor and three prosecutors without a lawyer, forced to slander his closest associates, his friends, and Mayor Ekrem. However, he never bowed down. He never stooped to that.

They told him, 'Don't go back to Kandıra from Çağlayan, you will serve 20 years.' He said, 'Even if I knew I would serve 200 years, I would not slander an honorable person.' Now, these executioners of justice reminded Fatih Keleş, saying, 'You have a family, you have children. You have a 26-year-old son.' Mr. Fatih heard it, but pretended not to. He said, 'They wouldn't go this far.' His 26-year-old son, Mustafa, was taken, detained for a day, and brought before a court.

"THEY ARE THREATENING MR. FATİH THROUGH HIS CHILD"

They are holding Mustafa, who works for someone else, hostage to break his father's spirit. Mustafa has neurological conditions; he cannot stay in enclosed spaces. He doesn't turn on the television or read the news to avoid hearing bad news about his father. While he couldn't even enter homes, they put Mustafa inside just to intimidate his father, knowing about his health vulnerabilities. Now they are threatening Mr. Fatih through his child.

Turkey knows how Fatih resisted, how he did not resort to slander, and what an honorable man he is. Mr. Fatih, this square is proud of both you and your dear son.

"FEAR IS OF NO USE AGAINST FATE. YOU WILL GO, AND İMAMOĞLU WILL BE PRESIDENT"

Today, Erdoğan is doing everything to his opponent, his opponent's family, and his loved ones that was not done to him. Ekrem İmamoğlu is currently the elected mayor of this municipality. A temporary acting mayor was appointed only because he is imprisoned. His title is Mayor. However, they are trying to remove his picture from the municipality, his name from billboards, and his voice from metro stations.

When Erdoğan lost his mayorship, he was not treated the way he is treating others while the title of mayor still stands. I am addressing Erdoğan from here. You are afraid of Mayor Ekrem's posters, brochures, pictures, and voice, but fear is of no use against fate. You will be defeated by his passport photo, you will be defeated by his passport photo. You will go, and Ekrem İmamoğlu will be President, he will be President.

"WERE YOU NOT THE ONE WHO SAID TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT, 'I DO NOT COMPLY WITH YOUR DECISION, NOR DO I RESPECT IT'?"

While we are resisting this judicial coup, someone has come out and said, 'I received a sentence because I read a poem. I fought a legal battle. I did not say I do not recognize the judiciary.' Today, he comes out and says, 'I read a poem. I did not defy the judiciary.' There was law in Turkey at that time, which is why you were able to fight a legal battle. At that time, it did not cross anyone's mind to arrest you until the decision was finalized by the Court of Cassation. And now you are here reminding us of the law.

Was there anyone talking to the chief prosecutor back then? Did Bülent Ecevit or Mesut Yılmaz call the chief prosecutor every evening? Did chief prosecutors come and talk directly to the president or prime minister and report to them just as they do to you? Were they giving instructions to the judiciary like you do? But let me say this much: you shamelessly and brazenly say you did not say 'I do not recognize the judiciary.' I ask you, Erdoğan: were you not the one who, just last year, said to the highest court, the Constitutional Court, 'I do not comply with your decision, nor do I respect it'? Are you not ashamed at all?

"TODAY, THEY STAINED JUSTICE ONCE AGAIN WITH A DAWN RAID"

Unfortunately, they have spread this lawlessness to Izmir today as well. On this day, when we are recounting the 100 days of darkness, they have stained justice once again with a dawn raid. Erdoğan was saying just five days ago that it would spread to other cities as well. Are you the prosecutor of secret files, are you the judge, you know all of these and are using them as tools for politics, and you think that by taking action in Izmir, you will put us in a difficult position in Istanbul. We openly challenge you from here. Whether it is in one place, two places, or ten places, even if you carry out operations in a thousand places, we will resist in a thousand places, we will resist a thousand times."

HERE IS IMAMOĞLU'S MESSAGE!

CHP İstanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik delivered İmamoğlu's message to Saraçhane:

"Dear Istanbulites, my precious fellow citizens whose hearts beat with love for the homeland and whose insides burn with the fire of justice, we are once again at your home, in Saraçhane. I am proud of you. Welcome. Saraçhane, which you have protected with honor and courage for a hundred days and have not left to those who desire a coup, is the home of the nation. Just like the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, only those elected by the nation can serve in Saraçhane. The nation gives the authority, and the nation takes it back. The target of those who attempt to arrest and remove elected mayors from office, even when there is not even an indictment yet, let alone final court rulings, is directly our nation. The target of those who make plans to win elections by eliminating their opponents through unlawful means is directly our nation.

They are after forcing the nation to bow down in order to build a regime without an opposition, where those who come with elections do not leave with elections. That is why our nation has been defending its own rights and freedoms for 100 days. For 100 days, our nation has been claiming its homeland with a demand for justice that rises from square to square. No power can stand against a nation that has risen for justice and freedom. No matter who thinks they are what, no matter in which mirror they see themselves, the nation, our nation, is greater than everyone.

The seal is not with those who think they are sultans, but with our nation. The day comes, the ballot box is set up, and the conscience of the nation makes the final decision. My dear fellow citizens, I am not keeping count of the days I have left behind in the Silivri dungeon. Whether it is a hundred days or a thousand days, it makes no difference. As long as I am not convicted in the conscience of my nation, I do not and will not accept myself as being in captivity."

Those who are truly in captivity are those who, despite all the power and authority they possess, cannot take a single step from the palace to the street for fear of facing the nation.

Those who are truly in captivity are those who will not be able to find even a single person around them on the day they lose their seats. I will walk around with the same feeling on the day I leave here as I did in the streets, squares, bazaars, and markets of Istanbul before March 19. My fellow citizens will welcome me just as they did before. I will look into the eyes of my citizens from every political view, every background, and every belief across Turkey on the day I leave here just as I did before March 19. Our citizens will also welcome me just as they did before."

News Source: 12punto