Beşiktaş Municipality held a commemorative event to mark the 106th anniversary of May 16, 1919, the day Mustafa Kemal Atatürk set sail for Samsun on the Bandırma Ferry.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Mayor Rasim Şişman, municipal council members, CHP Beşiktaş District Chair Alican Şen, and numerous citizens.
During the ceremony, a special message for May 19 from Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, who is currently in Silivri Prison, was read.
Deputy Mayor Rasim Şişman read Akpolat's note. Akpolat's message includes the following statements:
"My dear fellow travelers, our youth who are the hope of our homeland. Emrah and I are not among you right now at the First Step March, which we have held every May 19 since 2019 and which we hosted last year together with our Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan and our Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney.
However, this is only a physical separation. Our hearts, minds, and beliefs are one with everyone present there. 106 years ago, our Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk set out from his home in Şişli, received the prayers of our mother Zübeyde Hanım in Beşiktaş, and took the first step toward liberation from Karaköy. He left a mark on history by saying, 'We have only our faith in our minds.'
As tireless soldiers of Atatürk's party, the CHP, I still carry that same faith within me. Do not forget, my friends, from liberation to foundation, sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation. As our nation claims its sovereignty and our youth claim their future, I tell you with all the strength of my being: we will end this oppression and we will reunite.
Our hope is inexhaustible. I greet you all with respect from the dungeons of Silivri. I commemorate all our heroes, especially Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with mercy. Happy May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day."
News Source: 12punto
