On Friday (29 February), the Socialist Democracy Party (SDP) staged a protest in front of the private ATV channel building. In a press statement, the protesters said they “do not want a media crying for war.”

Call for peace journalism

Anit Baba, deputy chairperson of the SDP, called for an immediate withdrawal of all Turkish Armed Forces from Northern Iraq. This was before the army announced surprisingly on Friday afternoon that ground operations had ended.

Baba criticised the mainstream media for “blessing war” and reporting solely what the army fed them. He called on “pacifist journalists” to make their presence felt in the mainstream media.

Support for Bülent Ersoy

Meanwhile, the Turkish Peace Parliament has organised a support campaign for singer Bülent Ersoy who has been vilified in the press for speaking out against the war. Hundreds of people have signed the declaration of support.

ÖDP: Press statement around the country

The Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) announced that it would make press statements under the slogan “24 years of military operations are enough. They are not a solution. Peace in the country, peace in the region” in different provinces of Turkey for two days.

On Saturday, gatherings were planned in Ankara, Adana, Aydin, Izmir and Mersin, and on Sunday in Istanbul, Bursa, Gaziantep, Malatya and Mugla.

"A World without War" 

The Global Peace and Justice Coalition organised its fifth International Meeting for a World without War since the US occupation of Iraq on 1 March.

On Saturday, Iraq Veteran Against War Chris Capps, Iraqi psychiatrist Numan Serhan Ali and ÖDP chairperson and MP Ufuk Uras joined a panel in Istanbul.

Condemnation of militarism at school 

The Association for Free Thought and Educational Rights (Özgür-Der) has released a press statement in which it condemned the fact that teachers had collected money from students in support of the soldiers joining the operations in Northern Iraq.

Association president Hülya Sekerci called on the Ministry of Education to put an end to such practices immediately and to prevent young people from being militarised directly and indirectly. (EÜ/TK/AG)