Vigil in front of HDP office: ‘They want to put up a barrier between people and HDP’

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A vigil was kept in front of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Cizre Office in Turkey's Kurdish-majority Şırnak province yesterday evening (April 12) in protest against the police raid on the office and the detention of 10 people, including HDP Cizre Co-Chair Mesut Nart, the day before.

The vigil protest was attended by HDP Şırnak MPs Nuran İmir and Hasan Özgüneş, Peace Mothers' Assembly members, Free Women's Movement (TJA) activists, HDP Şırnak provincial and district co-chairs, Cizre Co-Mayors Berivan Kutlu and Mehmet Zırığ, Siirt Co-Mayors Adalet Fidan and Süleyman Şavluk as well as several other citizens.

'No one can silence the HDP'

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), HDP Şırnak MP Nuran İmir addressed the group joining the vigil and said that their "vigil protest" was attended by a large number of people, adding that the visits of solidarity have been ongoing to their party since the the day before.

Noting that "their party and region are targeted in a serious plot", İmir said, "The vigil that we began to lay claim to our party has been going on for two days. They want to put up a barrier between our party and our people with these pressures. But with the vigil that we have begun, we have thwarted this attempt. No one can silence the HDP because the HDP is you."

Meeting at the 'earth table'

The citizens who joined the vigil protest continued protesting by singing in Kurdish. While HDP Şırnak MP Hasan Özgüneş also recited a poem, people frequently chanted the slogans, "HDP is people, people are here" and "Bijî berxwedana HDP'ê" (Long live the resistance of HDP).

The vigil will continue on its third day tomorrow. Before this "vigil protest", the shopkeepers in Cizre will be visited. Afterwards, an "earth table" will be set in front of the HDP Cizre office on the occasion of Ramadan month and people will break their fast together. (AEK/SD)