1 Million People Said "No!" in İzmir
1 Million People from İzmir Platform held a public demonstration against the thermal power plants yesterday and many parties, unions and non-governmental organizations participated the meeting.
Life advocates oppose to thermal power plants due to their negative effects on global climate and harms to nature and human beings. They want to establish seven coal-fired thermal plants in Aliaga, two of them got the license and a construction has already started.
The people opposing thermal plant came together with "Extinguish the fire of Thermal, light the fire of Hıdırellez" slogans and said "Change the system not the climate", "Wind and sun is enough for us."
"We said 'No!' 22 years ago"
Cemil Toplu made the opening speech and reminded that there was also a thermal power plant 22 years ago but it was blocked by public resistance.
"We formed a chain of people 50 km long by thousands of people in İzmir, Aliağa on May 6,1990 and we stopped thermal plants. We can also stop it today"
İstanbul deputy Levent Tüzel said "Aliağa people should decide on the future of Aliağa. I am calling Aziz Kocaoğlu 'people oppose this, how do you alow this?' "
"İzmir has the wind, sun and geothermal"
"Labor, human being and nature do not exist in the policy of Justice and Development Party (AKP)" said the Head of Equality and Democracy Party Ferdan Ergut.
"There's a big potential in terms of wind, sun and geothermal in İzmir but it's not used. There's no investment. The environment struggle should flow in one channel and this channel should be at the center of the policy. Thermal power plants will not leave anything behind in terms of nature and environment." said Green Party Co-Spokesperson Ümit Şahin and he added:
" Petro-chemical industry, iron and steel industry are already destroying the life here. If thermal power plants are constructed, they will have negative effects on global warming."
"Thermal power plants will not effect only Aliağa but also a lot of regions in the world. We shouldn't say 'I attended a meeting and now I can go, rest at home and wait for the next meeting. It's a struggle that should be repeated everyday" said Ömer Madra.
Who attended the meeting?
1 Million People from İzmir Platform, Green Party, Equality and Democracy Party, Republican People's Party, Greenpeace, Initiative for Socialist Future Party, Peace and Democracy Party, The People's Democratic Congress (HDK), İzmir Society for the Protection of Environment, Nature and Animals, Dikili Municipality, Foça Environment and Culture Platform, Petrol-İş, Dev-Lis, Kemalist Thought Association, Karşıyaka City Council, Dikili Kent Konseyi, Foça City Council, Social Ecologist Resistance, We will not give up Anatolia Group, Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK), Socialist Democracy Party, The Labor Party, Communist Party of Turkey, Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects Chambers (TMMOB), Party of Love and Revolution, Democratic Peoples Federation, Socialist Youth Association, IMECE, Yenikapı Theater, Gençlik Muhalefeti (Youth Opposition), Liseli Arkadaş. (NV)
* This news is compiled from yeşilgazete.org