The arrest of Mersin's Akdeniz district municipality co-mayors Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Arslan, municipality council members Özgür Çağlar, Neslihan Oruç and Hikmet Bakırhan and the appointment of a trustee to the municipality were protested in Yenipazar neighbourhood. The mass gathered in front of the district organization of Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) and DEM Mersin MPs Ali Bozan and Perihan Koca wanted to visit shopkeepers. The mass was blocked by hundreds of police officers in front of the district office.

 

Stating that they would not allow the tradesmen's visit, the police attacked the mass who wanted to walk. The crowd responded to the attack with slogans such as "Pressures cannot deter us".

 

'THE BIGGEST TERROR IS PALACE TERROR'

 

Mersin MP Perihan Koca reacted against the practice and said, "Mersin police are knowingly and willingly committing a crime. None of the police officers in front of us have any authorisation. The biggest terror is the Palace terror. There is no such despicable behaviour."

 

The police attacked the crowd once again, injuring many people and detaining at least 5 people. Pirha reporter Fatoş Sarıkaya was beaten by the police. The crowd took the resistance against the attacks and detentions to the side streets, lit fires and chanted slogans. 

 

Hundreds of people flocked to the district building in the side streets against the police blockade of the MPs in front of the district building and broke the police blockade. After the police withdrew in the face of the march of the masses, a public meeting was held in front of the district building. During the meeting, a call was made for participation in the public meeting to be held tomorrow in front of the municipality building with the participation of Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır. The slogans "We will win by resisting" were chanted during the meeting.