Özgür Özel meets with party members in front of headquarters! 'Is shooting us the solution?'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel was attacked while leaving the venue following a memorial ceremony held for Sırrı Süreyya Önder. While it is known that Özel is in good health, CHP politicians and party members have strongly condemned this attack.

Following the attack, the CHP Youth Branches invited party members to the CHP Headquarters in Ankara to support Chairman Özgür Özel. Following this call, thousands of CHP members gathered in front of the headquarters and sent the message, "We stand with Özgür Özel."

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş also stated in a post on his social media account, "To protect democracy, rights, law, and justice; we stand with our Chairman Mr. Özgür Özel, who continues this struggle with determination. We invite everyone to the CHP Headquarters today at 21:00!"

Immediately after the attack, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the attack on CHP Chairman Özgür Özel.

MANSUR YAVAŞ MADE STATEMENTS

ABB Mayor Mansur Yavaş made statements in front of the headquarters.

Highlights from Yavaş's speech are as follows:

Hopefully, this ballot box will come before us, and hopefully, days full of peace and tranquility will arrive. We want the criminals to be punished, absolutely and without fail, and for this incident to be clarified. The attack on our previous chairman was covered up; this time, it must not be covered up, and they must pay the price. We will experience all the beauties of democracy after the ballot box comes before us. I convey my get-well wishes to our Chairman once again.

ÖZEL: WE WILL WIN THAT ELECTION

Following Mansur Yavaş, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel is making statements. Highlights from Özel's speech are as follows:

“We set out at 06:00 this morning and went to Istanbul. We went to a funeral, to bid farewell to a dove of peace, to the funeral of Sırrı Süreyya Önder. We went there to emphasize our party's historical consistency; to emphasize our belief in peace, brotherhood, and solutions, our belief in the Parliament, and from now on, to the brotherhood of Turks and Kurds, the brotherhood and unity of Alevis and Sunnis, and for this beautiful country we have built to walk together, shoulder to shoulder, protecting the legacy of Gazi Mustafa Kemal, and to walk toward the future and protect our honorable path. Today, we experienced something there that none of us wanted. But don't worry at all. The skill is not to be crushed in this world. But if they find a way, if they find an opportunity and crush you, to smell beautiful; like thyme, like lavender, like basil, like lemon balm, like Yunus, like Tonguç, like Nazım, like Sırrı, like Ekrem, to smell beautiful. The skill is, of course, not to be crushed. But if they find an opportunity and crush you, not to smell bad, but to smell beautiful. Today, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was elected to serve the 16 million people of Istanbul, our six mayors, and our friends are in the dungeons of Silivri. They are trying to crush them. But there is no bad smell, they smell beautiful. We are sown, we come as crops. We are crushed, we come as flour. A thousand go, a thousand come. Is shooting us the solution? Is crushing us the solution? One Ekrem goes, a thousand Ekrems come. Is crushing us the solution? Let no one rely on this, let no one take refuge in this. For this reason, we say this to those who stand together here today, in the father's house, in the garden of the father's house, to those who look to the future with hope, to a murderer, to a provocateur trying to teach us a lesson: We will not bend an inch, we will not take a step back, we will not speak a word less. Because we know that if we bend an inch, they will bring this nation to its knees. We will not kneel. We will not surrender. We will never cower. In the end, we will win. We will win, Turkey will win.”

İmamoğlu, our six mayors, and our friends are in the dungeons of Silivri. They are trying to crush them. But there is no bad smell, they smell beautiful. We are sown, we come as crops. We are crushed, we come as flour. A thousand go, a thousand come. Is shooting us the solution? Is crushing us the solution? One Ekrem goes, a thousand Ekrems come. Is crushing us the solution? Let no one rely on this, let no one take refuge in this. For this reason, we say this to those who stand together here today, in the father's house, in the garden of the father's house, to those who look to the future with hope, to a murderer, to a provocateur trying to teach us a lesson: We will not bend an inch, we will not take a step back, we will not speak a word less. Because we know that if we bend an inch, they will bring this nation to its knees. We will not kneel. We will not surrender. We will never cower. In the end, we will win. We will win, Turkey will win.”

“WE STOOD TOGETHER AGAINST ATTACKS”

“On the evening of March 31, we all shouted together: ‘This success is not our victory, it is our duty. This election result is not anyone's defeat. There is no loser in this election, the winner is all of Turkey,’ we said. Since that day, we have stood by our mayors who were tasked with serving this nation step by step, our mayors who have gained the appreciation of this nation, and we have stood behind them. We walked with them. We worked with them. Because we knew that the future of this country would be possible with social democratic mayors and our social municipalism approach that would protect the poor, the youth, the tradesmen, the farmers, the retirees, the laborers, and the young people who are worried about tomorrow. While we were walking that path, some were uncomfortable with it. Some wanted to leave the hand we extended hanging in the air, to frustrate our need and determination to serve the nation and walk toward the future with the nation. Since that day, we have stood together and resisted together against all the oppression, all the evil, and all the attacks made on our party. From now on, we will continue to stand together and resist together with the same determination. I do not attribute the attack on us today to any political party, any political view, or any rival. However, I do not see the attack today as independent from the process we are in; from the oppression against Mayor Ekrem and our friends, and from the conspiracy set up against our country through our party. From here on, everyone should come to their senses. The Republican People's Party is never, ever a party that will seek political gain or take the easy way out against such a provocation. But the Republican People's Party is never a party that will be made to take a step back, silenced, intimidated, turned from its path, or have its march to power stopped by such a provocation. For this reason, I declare clearly from here that those who stand in our way from now on, those who try to direct the will of the nation, those who attempt a coup attempt against the will of the nation, those who aspire to a junta, know this: We are not in the position of taking the easy way out by attributing what happened today to you or anyone else. But also know this: If you stand in front of the Republican People's Party, if you defy the nation, if you keep our friends inside unjustly, you will have to deal with us, you will see what we are capable of. Now, just like on election night, we are going from here; from our father's house, to our own house; from the house of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to our own house, to wake up early tomorrow morning, to work harder, and to work with all our might to bring Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's party to power. But we are all walking to power together. We are all walking together to make Gazi Mustafa Kemal's party the government.”

“NOW IS THE TIME TO LIFT THIS COUNTRY UP”

“Turkey, the beautiful people of Turkey, no matter which party you voted for, the honest, decent, hardworking, beautiful people of this country, do not be afraid anymore. No one can crush you. No one can silence you. No one can exploit you. Now is the time for Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's party to save this homeland once again after 100 years, and to lift this country up by prioritizing brotherhood, friendship, hard work, and democracy once again. We are coming, the nation is coming, we will succeed together. Let no one have any worries about tomorrow. Let no one have the slightest doubt, the slightest fear. No one can scare us, we have left fear, anxiety, and doubt far behind. We will succeed, we will protect this country together. Neither murderers, nor powers, nor prosecutors, nor the conspiracies they have set up against the future of this country can intimidate us. We trust and believe in this nation, in the Turkish nation, in the Republic of Turkey. We embrace and protect all the democrats, social democrats, conservative democrats, nationalist democrats, liberal democrats, socialist democrats, and Kurdish democrats of this country together. We swear to save this country together. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I promise you in the garden of this father's house, where you have rushed to, waited, and protected since you received the news for hours. We will experience a great victory with you, a victory where we will carry this party to power together once again and look to the future with confidence. I am grateful to you all, I love you all very much, I greet you all with respect. Thank you, long live.”

News Source: 12punto