CHP leader Özgür Özel and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu speak in Saraçhane: 'Taksim belongs to the workers'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and CHP Chairman Özgür Özel arrived in Saraçhane due to the government's ban on workers celebrating May 1st.

Speaking in Saraçhane, CHP leader Özgür Özel stated: "The goal is Taksim Square."

Özel said the following:

"Saraçhane Square is a symbol of the holiday. Saraçhane is the place where the strongest emphasis on democracy is made.

When the state's news agency, television, district governor, and governor are pitted against the nation, if the nation and the state come face to face, the nation wins.

"THE GOAL IS TAKSIM SQUARE"

Of course, the goal is Taksim Square. The symbolic square of May 1st is Taksim Square.

If the nation and the state come face to face, the nation wins. Those who opened Taksim to May 1st in 2012 and made it a matter of pride are now causing this shame. The Constitutional Court's decision is binding for everyone. The Constitutional Court said, 'The square belongs to the workers.' Anything beyond this is violating the constitution and is a crime. It is denying the constitution. We have been negotiating for days; our Mayor Ekrem put in a lot of effort. I spoke with the Minister of Interior for 2 days, but they did not abandon this mistake. Symbolically, we came here with 1,977 non-unionized workers. The September 12 coup crushed the left, unions, and politics. Unions are your constitutional right; organize in unions. When the CHP comes to power, there will be no obstacles left in front of workers' unionization. What will remove the barriers is for workers to be unionized. The days when holidays will be celebrated like holidays are near. If not today, Taksim will be liberated tomorrow. Taksim belongs to the workers, it belongs to the workers.

Do not allow workers to be injured or harmed by the unlawful orders given to you. Everyone here is a child of this country, they are brothers and sisters. Long live May 1st. Long live the struggle of the working class in Turkey and the world."

"IT HAS BECOME A SYMBOL FOR ISTANBULITES"

İmamoğlu also said, "Saraçhane has become a symbol of the struggle against difficulties. Sometimes it has been a symbol of interference in democracy, and sometimes a symbol of interference in freedoms. Today, it has become a symbol for Istanbulites who voice their opposition to the interference with the workers' desire to be in Taksim on May 1st."

News Source: 12punto