Labour Youth members have been fined 780 Turkish Lira for posting anti-war notices

In Malatya, Labour Youth* members Ege Kinik and Berfin Guler were fined 780 Turkish lira for hanging the declaration title “No to warmongering”. The police also kept a report on the grounds that Labour Youth members removed their masks while hanging posters.

Ege Kinik states the Police made a visit to his house to sign the filed report, Ege Kinik was interrogated and asked about who else was with them. Ege says “I was told if I did not tell them, they would write a penalty for false statement. He opened and made me watch the security camera footage. Despite stating that I only had my mask off while handling the poster, I was told that would be issued a penalty find regardless.”

IT WAS SAID “YOU HAVE TO GET PERMISSION FROM THE COUNCIL”

Berfin Guler was called by the police, “ The police said ‘We have taken Ege now, you have to come to the Police Station too’. When I stated that I was carrying out a political party activity, he said it was banned and that he would issue a penalty notice. I found out that I was identified a day after the activity. When I went to the police station I was told I would be issued with a penalty for not wearing my face mask and for displaying banned posters. I warned them that it was not right for me to be fined for not wearing my face mask because I was identified a day later by CCTV and requested that all passers by be indentified to be given a penalty too. The response I received was ‘your situation is different, you were seen while hanging a poster’. When I showed him that the police officers at the Police Station was not wearing a face mask, he said ‘We will warn him’ and he just passed me off”, informed Berfin Guler.

“WE WILL ALWAYS SAY PEACE AGAINST WAR”

Stating that a family friend had previously been called and oppressed before, Guler said, “Despite all this, we will continue our struggle. What is wrong with saying peace not war? War has always caused devastation for the working masses. Because we said the problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia can be solved through peace not war, they punished us like this. We encountered this attitude because we wanted peace against those who support the war, but this will not interrupt our struggle, on the contrary, we will encourage it, peace against war”.

* Labour Youth is the youth organisation of the Labour Party of Turkey (EMEP). (EVRENSEL DAILY)