Journalist İsmail Saymaz, who directed questions to the Istanbul Governor's Office regarding how such a crowded rally was permitted at a time when even press statements are not allowed on Istiklal Avenue, shared the response he received with his followers on his social media account.
Saymaz also provided evaluations and made striking inferences based on the response he received from the Governor's Office.
Here are the questions that crossed İsmail Saymaz's mind regarding the 'support for Palestine march' and the conclusions he drew from the answers he received:
While press statements are not allowed on Istiklal Avenue, the Galata Bridge is closed to traffic and allocated for a rally at the request of TÜGVA.
I asked the Istanbul Governor's Office.
They said, "We gave permission because traffic density is low on January 1st and there is a social consensus on the Gaza issue."
There is only one rally area on the European side of Istanbul: Yenikapı.
There has never been a rally on the Galata Bridge.
If permission depends on social consensus...
Will gatherings be allowed in Taksim on May 1st...
Or at Dolmabahçe on November 10th? Or is permission only granted to pro-government organizations?
I would like to ask:
If the Gaza Rally had been organized by IHH instead of TÜGVA and Bilal Erdoğan, would the Galata Bridge have been allocated? It would not have been.
Is Turkey a "Republic of my father's grace" that the Galata Bridge, which carries traffic and is not among the designated rally areas, is made available depending on who is asking.
News Source: 12punto
