Özgür Özel makes a March 19 call at CHP's 88th rally: 'Are we standing? Are we in action?'

The CHP's 'Defending the National Will' rallies, which began with the arrest of Presidential Candidate and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, continue without slowing down. The new venue for the rallies, which have been held for the 88th time since March 2025, was the Adalar district.

Addressing the citizens gathered at the rally in Büyükada, Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel began his speech by reacting to the AKP government's plan to sell off highways and bridges. Özel said, "Erdoğan is selling our future; stop him."

"They are attempting to sell 7 highways. The value of what they say they will sell is 600 million dollars. Only 2 percent is for maintenance and repair costs. They are letting them go just to get 3 billion TL. If they didn't privatize the bridges, this government already has the revenue of 2 years. Such great evil would not be committed even by a defeated occupying army. After all these years, the economy has collapsed. They are trying to sell off the nation's income for 3 billion liras," said Özgür Özel, continuing his remarks:

"Erdoğan had tried to sell these in 2012 as well. There was a huge outcry. Erdoğan had said, 'Selling them for less than 7 is treason.' Now he is doubling that treason! A study came into my hands today. The rate of those aware of this is only 40 percent. 60 percent are unaware. 90 percent of those who are aware are against it. Therefore, I entrust this to our entire organization and to each and every one of you who loves Istanbul and loves Turkey. Let no one say they haven't heard. Don't say you didn't hear! Erdoğan is selling our future; stop him, stop him, stop him!"

Announcing that they will launch a counter-campaign regarding the AKP's sales plan, Özgür Özel said, "For this, our Istanbul organization will conduct an effective campaign until everyone is informed. We will carry out this campaign not only in Istanbul but in all 81 provinces, and we will show the nation what is happening to them," reminding the public of the roads built with 'build-operate-transfer' policies.

"The 103-kilometer Izmir-Çeşme highway toll is 53 liras. This is the highway built with state money, which the late Özal opened by saying, 'Come on Semra, put on a cassette so we can enjoy ourselves'; today, 103 kilometers is 53 liras," said Özel, continuing:

"But the 100-kilometer section of the highway from Izmir to Akhisar, which Erdoğan inaugurated and where he posed while using the official vehicle with the Minister of Transport, is currently 365 liras! On one side 53 liras, on the other 365 liras. With this evil they have prepared in the specifications, when they sell it, the Izmir-Çeşme highway will be exactly 365 liras... That means a 6-7 fold increase for each of them. I am saying it from here; if you don't want to pay 300 liras to cross the Bosphorus bridge that is currently crossed for 59 liras, then oppose it, oppose it, oppose it!"

The bridge built by the late Demirel is 59 liras. The bridge built by the late Özal is 59 liras. The bridge built by Tayyip Erdoğan has a toll of 995 liras! 995 liras! It is our duty to say these things."

"FIVE RETIREES DO NOT EQUAL ONE POOR PERSON"

Touching upon the hardships of retirees, the CHP Chairman said, "Currently, the lowest pension is 20 thousand liras, the minimum wage is 28 thousand liras, and the average income of farmers in Turkey is 19 thousand 700 liras," and added:

"Today, the hunger threshold is 31 thousand liras, and the poverty threshold is 102 thousand liras. In other words, if five retirees come together, they cannot save one person from poverty. Five retirees join forces and cannot rise above the poverty threshold. For the first time, the minimum wage was below the hunger threshold on the day it was announced; today, it has fallen 3 thousand liras below the hunger threshold."

"And we are facing such a system that according to TUIK, inflation was 30-65% annually. In December, they stopped the price hikes, hid the measurement, looked at the label from another angle, and showed inflation as very low. What happened? They stole 4% from the salary to be given to the retiree. What happened? They stole 4% from the pockets of civil servants. When January came, they made the hikes, looked at the price, and even according to TUIK, January inflation was 4.8%. What does 4.8% mean? Look, 4.8% is more than the annual inflation of a hundred countries."

"I am calling out to all of Turkey from here, from the Adalar," said Özgür Özel, continuing his words:

"The world has defeated inflation. There is no such problem as inflation in the world, people! They worry about 2% inflation, we have 4.8%! 4.8% monthly; in the world, a hundred countries have annual inflation below 4.8%! The European Union's average inflation is 2%. That's why when they tell you 'inflation is the world's problem', it's a lie. 'Cost of living is everywhere', a blatant lie. We are number one in inflation in the world and in Europe."

"We are in third place in food inflation in the world. We have higher inflation than countries at war, countries under occupation, countries devastated by war and destruction. We have higher inflation than Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, and Russia. That is why Turkey is being poorly managed. There is an incompetent, visionless government in Turkey that has no energy left and has lost its ability to govern."

"ERDOĞAN HAS CONFIRMED US WITH THE SIGNATURE HE THREW"

Reacting harshly to Erdoğan's appointment of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek to the Ministry of Interior, CHP Leader Özgür Özel said, "I am worried about Turkey's future; however, I am extremely pleased with the path we are walking, our righteousness, and our effort to explain this to the nation. Erdoğan has contradicted himself with the signature he threw. The biggest lie is the lie that 'Turkey is a state of law.' With the appointment he made, he has confirmed us. Akın Gürlek is political, our friends are innocent; these are slanderers, conspirators, coup plotters!" he said.

"For the first time in history, the ministry office has become this bad. He has taken the podium and is reading the paper in his hand fearfully," the CHP Chairman continued:

"I am calling out to AK Party and MHP members. If it were the opposite, if a prosecutor started politics in the CHP, would you call that prosecutor's claim legal? My brother, you have been winning for 23 years, you have lost an election once, now you cannot do politics by putting your opponent in jail so that the ballot box you came from does not work."

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL ANNOUNCED THE 'MARCH 19' PLAN

"Next week, we will hold our 39th district rally in Ataşehir. Then, for three weeks, we say, shall we hold a regional rally in the first region, the second region, and the third region? My provincial chairman warns me, he says the order should be 3-2-1, let's do it that way. Then the date comes to the following Wednesday, March 18. So we are the next day, March 19," said Özgür Özel, explaining the plan regarding the anniversary of İmamoğlu's detention:

"Shall we all be in a square together from the day the diploma is cancelled on March 18 until March 19? Shall we even do it like this? For example, shall we listen to 'Yiğidim Aslanım' from Zülfü Livaneli that night here? For example, if we sing 'Kurtuluş Yok Tek Başına' loudly enough, shall İlkay Akkaya come out and sing it herself? Whoever has spoken in the 88 actions so far, Boğaziçi students, Istanbul University, METU; shall they address the students, the youth, and Turkey from here on the first anniversary? Shall we connect March 18 to March 19 all together? Are we standing? Are we in the square? Are we in action? It's almost been a year, and just as we said a year ago: The moral superiority is with us, the psychological superiority is with us, the majority energy is with us."

İMAMOĞLU ADDRESSED THE ADALAR FROM SILIVRI

While citizens showed great interest in the rally held at Cumhuriyet Square in Büyükada, a letter written by Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been in prison for more than 300 days, from Silivri was read.

In his letter from Marmara Prison in Silivri, İmamoğlu stated the following:

“Dear residents of Adalar, my dear fellow citizens… Respected ladies, dear gentlemen, brave and courageous youth, smiling children… I greet each of you with respect and love, and embrace you with longing. I thank each of you with friendship for defending justice and democracy since March 19. Thank you, may you exist. I offer my thanks to my Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat, who manages the Adalar together with you as a resident of Adalar, and who works with all his might to implement the most beautiful examples of the Republican People's Party's populist and executive practices. Under the leadership of my respected Chairman Özgür Özel, we are marching to power with great determination and faith. Just as walking with those who add strength to our march to power will make us successful and is valuable, getting rid of people who have not received their share of political ethics and who are likely to harm our determined struggle is just as valuable for our struggle. Under the leadership of our chairman, our party's determined march to power will continue and will definitely achieve success.”

“THREATENING WITH FAMILY IS COWARDICE, IT IS POLLUTING JUSTICE; END THIS IMMEDIATELY”

“My dear fellow citizens; since 2019, we have worked very hard for the Adalar, and we continue to work. You, who are gathered in this beautiful square, know this best. We have carried out very large infrastructure investments. We have renovated and organized squares, green areas, and parks. We restored the Stone School (Taş Mektep) and offered it to the service of the citizens. We opened our new sea lines between Pendik-Tuzla and Maltepe and the Adalar. We accelerated public transport services, and put 250 IETT vehicles into service. We restored the Paşabahçe Ferry. We opened our Regional Employment Office to bring job seekers and employers together. While working without limits in service with the understanding of giving the nation's money to the nation, we found ourselves in the biggest and dirtiest political operation in our democratic history. For 11 months, we have been fighting against a great evil that does not fit into law, morality, and conscience. An evil mind that puts its opponent, who would defeat it at the ballot box, in jail with conspiracy files, slander and blackmail, and baseless, fabricated claims, is now attacking families with endless hatred and anger. By persecuting our closest ones, they are threatening us with our families and trying to make us kneel. Threatening with family is the final point of lawlessness and lack of conscience. Threatening with family is a crime against humanity, it is oppression, it is torture. Threatening with family is cowardice, it is polluting justice. End this immediately.”

“THE MEANING OF THE APPOINTMENT TO THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE…”

“We have a word for the mentality that becomes cruel when it realizes it will lose the election, attacks sacred values, and thinks it can keep its seat by tormenting families: You will be defeated. You will be defeated by our clean morality, our smiling faces, our patience, and our courage. You will be defeated by the common sense and conscience of our nation. In these days when our nation's trust in the judiciary has fallen below 20 percent, another move has been made to zero out and destroy the belief in justice. This is the meaning of the appointment made to the Ministry of Justice. At the same time, it has been clearly confessed and confirmed that the investigations and lawsuits carried out against us have a completely political purpose and were constructed from the very top. Yesterday was dire, what comes after this is even more dire. Because, if there is no justice, there is no right and freedom, there is no abundance. Injustice has finished the economy and brought our country to the brink of an abyss. Despite everything, our struggle and determination will continue at a higher level.”

“THEY WILL BE DEFEATED THIS WAY, THEY WILL BE DEFEATED THAT WAY”

“This evil mind that ignores conscience, tramples on morality, silences justice, and turns the law into a political apparatus is doomed to lose. Just as they were defeated 4 times in Istanbul before, they will be defeated again. They will be defeated this way, they will be defeated that way. Until our nation says 'it's over', this great struggle for justice and dignity will continue. They will take their hands off the judiciary and learn to stomach losing at the ballot box. They will lose, and Turkey's 86 million honorable citizens will win. They will lose, and law and democracy will win. Turkey will be a country of justice and freedom, prosperity and abundance. Everything will be very beautiful. Ekrem İmamoğlu. Silivri Dungeon.”

News Source: 12punto