İstanbul district governor bans opposition party's 'price hikes' exhibition

Photo: CHP İstanbul/Twitter

İstanbul's Eyüpsultan District Governor's Office has banned a mobile exhibition organized by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which focuses on recent price hikes.

The exhibition, titled "MazzZam" is a wordplay combining "muazzam" (monumental) and "zam" (price hike).

Scheduled to begin on July 24, the exhibition was set to be displayed today at Eyüpsultan Mosque Square in Eyüpsultan.

However, the governor's office cited concerns about the vehicle used for the exhibition potentially turning into a rally stage, as well as the square not being designated for gatherings or demonstrations. Additionally, the expected crowd during the Friday prayer further raised "security concerns," leading to the ban.

The exhibition aimed to visually compare various products' prices before and after the elections held in May, illustrating the extent of price increases for the public to see.

Responding to the decision, the CHP İstanbul Provincial Organization stated, "Dr. Canan Kaftancıoğlu, the CHP İstanbul Provincial Chairperson, will meet with the citizens who have been suffocating due to price hikes today at 4.00 p.m in Eyüpsultan Square."

The government had fulfilled its pre-election promises by raising the minimum wage by 34%, retiree pensions by 25%, and public servant salaries by an average of 75% after the May elections. However, following these raises, it implemented numerous tax and fee increases in July. The unprecedented increase on fuel taxes have affected the prices of virtually all products and services, leading a 10-point increase to 47% in the inflation rate in July. (VK)