Demonstration for Democratic Constitution Ends with Tear Gas

About 5,000 people gathered in Kadıköy, a popular district on Istanbul's Anatolian side, for a demonstration organized by the Platform for a Civil and Democratic Constitution around midday on 10 April. The demonstrators walked from the district of Üsküdar to the centre of Kadıköy to voice their claim for a civil and democratic constitution in replacement of the current constitution which had been enforced after the military coup on 12 September 1980.

Call for a democratic and civil constitution

The demonstrators called for a constitution that enables the prosecution of the putchists and grants equal rights and freedoms for everybody. Banners in Turkish and Kurdish read "Temporary article 15, election threshold and ban on mother tongues to the trash, power to the people". The participants shouted slogans such as "Side by side against putchists" or "United we will win".

Besides the organizing Platform for a Civil and Democratic Constitution, the meeting was attended by representatives and members of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), the Socialist Democracy Party (SDP) along with the Human Rights Association (İHD), the Confederation of Trade Unions of Public Employees (KESK), Young Civilians, the Turkish Medical Association, the Peace and Democracy Movement and the '78'ers' Initiative. Moreover, the demonstration was joined by BDP MPs Hasip Kaplan, Sabahat Tuncel and Aysel Tuğluk and KESK President Sami Evren.

Tear gas and truncheons

The police applied strict security measures and body-searched everybody who was going to enter the meeting place. The meeting subsequent to the protest march was attended by KESK President Evren, Labour Party (EMEP) Chairman Levent Tüzel and artists Zeynep Tanbay and Yusuf Çetin.

During the meeting in Kadıköy, the police intervened against the demonstrators with tear gas. Conflicts emerged between the police and demonstrators who tried to enter the place. Demonstrators threw stones at the police and the police made use of their truncheons against the demonstrators. Former Co-Chairs Ahmet Türk and Aysel Tuğluk from the closed Democratic Society Party (DTP) were among the attendants who were exposed to the police's use of tear gas.

Former DTP Co-Chairs Türk and Tuğluk criticized the police intervention after the incident. Türk said, "This is the policy that has been implemented for years and years. We cannot see an attitude of precaution as far as democrats or workers are concerned".

Tuğluk remarked, "It is thought-provoking that this demonstration dominated by peace is experiencing this kind of reaction. Nobody benefits from such provocations. It shows how limited the mentality is if this can happen without any reasons".

KESK President Evren indicated, "The crucial point is that the people calling for a different democratic constitution went to the street for the first time, since the constitution of 12 September has been criticized for years. The draft law does not comprise a social draft that reconciles the voiced criticisms. The election threshold is not in accordance with the society. These are reasons to abolish this constitution over all". (BT/EK/VK)