The Big Jump: People Jump into Water All Around the World for Hasankeyf Ancient City

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The "Big Jump" event has been held in European countries on the second Sunday in July since 2005, to draw attention to the need to protect rivers.

This year, the Big Jump was held for Hasankeyf, an ancient town in the southeastern province of Urfa which is on the verge of being submerged into the water because of the Ilısu Dam that was constructed on the Tigris River.

Not just in Europe, but also in many cities in Turkey and the Middle East, people jumped into rivers yesterday (July 14), except Hasankeyf, where the district governor made going into water subjected to permission in an order dated July 12.

In İstanbul, people gathered in Yeniköy, on the shores of the Bosphorus.

The Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive and the Mesopotamia Ecology Association organized the event in Hasankeyf. MPs from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), July Ward, a member of the European Parliament and several civil society figures, along with tens of citizens, attended the event in Hasankeyf while many returned to homes after the governor's announcement of ban spread in the town.

London

Amid intense security measures, people were not allowed to jump into the Tigris. Police forces, accompanied by tens of armored vehicles, surrounded the river.

The demonstrators then made a statement on a place which is called by locals "sightseeing hill," showing a banner that reads, "It is not too late for Hasankeyf." After the statement, some of them jumped into the Batman streamlet, which was police-free.

People show signs that read, "It is not too late for Hasankeyf" and "Don't touch Hasankeyf" on the Batman streamlet.

Other than Hasankeyf, people jumped into the and rivers in İstanbul, Antalya, Nevşehir and Çanakkale, upon a call by the Hasankeyf Coordination which is formed by many entities and civil society organizations such as the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), the Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK), the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), İstanbul City Defense, Northern Forests Defense, Archeologists' Association.

Berlin

Some of the cities the Big Jump event was held around the world: Sine (Iran), Baghdad (Iraq), Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Berlin, Hamburg, Mainz, Wendland, Munich, Nürnberg (Germany), London (England), Dundee (İskoçya), Copenhagen (Denmark), Manlleu (Catalonia), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). 

Catalonia

(HA/VK)