* Photo: Kurtuluş Arı
Click to read the article in Turkish
The Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS) held a statement for the press in front of the central office of Cumhuriyet newspaper in İstanbul today (December 23) and expressed support and solidarity with the daily recently targeted by a pro-government Akit TV presenter during live broadcast.
Denouncing the remarks of the presenter who said, "Let's go. Let's all come together and throw a hand grenade in front of Cumhuriyet", the Union has announced that they will file a criminal complaint about those remarks.
"Cumhuriyet newspaper will continue writing the truth", the statement said and added, "Cumhuriyet has never stayed silent and it will not do so."
'We will call them to account before the law'
The statement for the press of the TGS was read out by Hazal Ocak, the union's representative to Cumhuriyet.
Ocak read out the following statement in brief:
"As it is known, the presenter of Akit TV channel named Fatin Dağıstanlı targeted a news article published on our newspaper on December 20 by Işık Kansu entitled 'Sharia Workshop' and said, 'Let's all come together and throw a hand grenade in front of Cumhuriyet.'
"The prosecutors, who had to immediately launch an investigation, contented themselves with standing and watching this call for massacre.
"Throughout its 95-year history, Cumhuriyet has been the target of several reactionist circles, its columnists Uğur Mumcu, Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Muammer Aksoy, Onat Kutlar, Bahriye Üçok and Cavit Orhan Tütengil were massacred in bomb and armed attacks, their workers were imprisoned and faced with numerous lawsuits, but it has never stayed silent and it will not stay silent after that, either. Cumhuriyet newspaper is not unclaimed. Cumhuriyet Newspaper will continue writing the truth. We will file a criminal complaint and will call them to account before the law."
Statement by Editor-in-Chief Küçükkaya
Speaking in front of Cumhuriyet newspaper, Editor-in-Chief Aykut Küçükkaya also emphasized that "they were the laborers of a newspaper who had lost several of its columnists in bomb attacks and armed assassinations."
Emphasizing that the newspaper "would not diverge even an inch from the publication line set by lead columnist İlhan Selçuk, who was removed from the newspaper with the Ergenekon plot of the FETÖ [held responsible for coup attempt in 2016], Küçükkaya said, "With our news and comments, we will make both a call and a warning to people to enlighten the Turkish society and lay claim to Atatürk's revolutions of enlightenment."
What happened?
Fatin Dağıstanlı, the pro-government Akit TV presenter, targeted Işık Kansu due to his news entitled "Sharia Workshop" (Şeriat Çalıştayı) and hit the headline of daily Cumhuriyet on December 20, 2019.
Speaking at his program "The Language of Headlines" (Manşetlerin Dili), Dağıstanlı said that he did not read the news. In his dialogue with Ali İhsan Karahasanoğlu, the Managing Editor of pro-government daily Yeni Akit, he said, "Let's go. Let's all come together and throw a hand grenade in front of Cumhuriyet newspaper". (HA/SD)
