TİP will meet in Hatay and initiate a march to Ankara on Oct. 1 if MP Atalay not yet released

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Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) announced that if their elected member of parliament, Can Atalay, who is currently detained, is not released by the opening day of the Parliament on October 1, they will hold a gathering in Hatay on that date and, if necessary, start a march that could last for days or even weeks from there.

Erkan Baş, speaking on behalf of the party, said:

"If Can Atalay is not released by the opening day of Parliament on October 1st, we will go to Hatay on that day. Because on October 1st, there is an agenda in Parliament where only Tayyip Erdoğan will come and make a speech, and we will declare in Hatay that we will not accept this deficiency. The expectation of the citizens in Hatay is, if he is not released, let's start a journey together from Defne, Samandağ, Arsuz, if necessary, for days or months, let's walk all the way to Ankara. Let's show that we do not accept this injustice, this unfairness, that we will not be subdued, and that we will not allow it to be normalized."

Erkan Baş appeared on a TV program on the Tele1 channel on the evening of September 21.

During the program, Baş stated that the real victims of the detention of TİP Hatay MP Can Atalay are not their party but all citizens in Turkey, all voters, and especially the people of Hatay.

"Hatay experienced the February 6th earthquake in the most severe way, where tens of thousands of people lost their lives, tens of thousands of people were forced to leave the city, and now people are still living in tents and containers, struggling to access even the most basic necessities such as water and electricity.

Therefore, I must express this. Right now, the biggest victim of this process is the people of Hatay. Whether they vote for us or not. All citizens of Hatay have a member of parliament who cannot work."

Baş explained that they have set up a mobile liaison office for Can Atalay in Hatay to end these grievances as soon as possible. He shared that every day, representatives from the party, lawyers on behalf of Can Atalay, party officials, and advisors will go to a different district of Hatay to listen to the citizens' concerns and convey them. (TY/PE)