Protests of university students against "special administrators" continued in Istanbul, Izmir and Adana. Students from various universities in Istanbul, including Boğaziçi University, met at Kadıköy Rıhtım.
Students chanted slogans "The academy does not pay allegiance", "The academy and the students cannot be handcuffed", "Universities are ours" and "Long live student solidarity".
EMEP Istanbul Chair Sema Barbaros, HDP Istanbul Co-Chairs Elif Bulut and Erdal Avcı and HDP MPs also attended the demonstration.
The students said "We were declared terrorists by the government and targeted with the words 'their heads should be crushed5`", and emphasized that they came together again in Kadıköy to speak out.
Stating that they responded to trustees with various actions they organized, especially in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, university students said, “We do not accept the existing university structure dominated by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), which is a product of the coup, which imposes unscientific decisions on the academy, where university staff and students are not included in the decision making, and students who make their voices heard are punished by disciplinary actions. YÖK must be replaced by a democratic and free university in order to end the pressure created by the trustees."
"OUR STRUGGLE WILL GROW"
In the press release emphasizing that universities will not be allowed to turn into ruling AKP's organizations, students said “Trustees of all universities should resign! The administration of universities should be determined by elections, by all university components. We will not allow the specially appointed administrators or the political power to make decisions on our behalf. Our struggle will grow through solidarity and as the teaching staff and students join the management of the school.”
After the press release, the students formed the rostrum and the demonstration continued in the form of a forum. (EVRENSEL DAILY)
Ceren Sözeri
Yusuf Karadaş
Aras Coşkuntuncel