Boğaziçi protests: Politicians visit students, more people detained in other cities

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University students in three cities gathered yesterday (February 4) in support of Boğaziçi University students, who have been protesting the appointment of a rector from outside the university's academic community.

Police did not allow the demonstrations and detained nine people in Çanakkale and 17 people in Samsun and Bursa each, Sendika.org reported.

Meanwhile, students at the Boğaziçi campus protested Prof. Melih Bulu, the new rector, calling him "shameless," as he was leaving his office yesterday.

Bulu thanked Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu for placing barricades on the campus, saying that "Although we made calls multiple times, the blockade didn't end. Because I wasn't able to go home, the police should intervene."

Police stormed the campus on Monday night, detaining dozens of students.

Politicians' visits

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Pervin Buldan and Muharrem İnce, who competed in the 2018 presidential election as the candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) met with Boğaziçi students yesterday.

Buldan visited some Boğaziçi students at their homes. Buldan told them that they are working for a country without the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and a country where students' education is not interfered with.

"After graduating from university, you will have the unemployment problem. Unfortunately, our students who graduated from university can't find jobs," she said. "This won't change as long as the AKP is not gone."

She also said that she agrees with the students on calling the new rector "the trustee rector" in reference to the government replacing heads of various institutions with trustees.

Meeting students at the university campus, İnce said that the university rector appointments have become even worse than in the 1990s.

"I address all the political parties, these children are really expressing their democratic demands," he said. (EKN/DŞ/VK)