"Police Will Fade University's Colors"

Reacting to Interior Ministry's new plan to assign to "guard officers" on university campuses, current and former student leaders spoke up to bianet, claiming that police presence would limit freedoms on campus.

Interior Minister Muammer Güler released a statement saying that the ministry officials are working on a new regulation to assign "guard officers" on university campuses and soccer stadiums - which are currently guarded by private security firms. He stated that they have been planning to create new jobs for 10,000 people. 

"We are working on a new position called protection officer. We are currently developing the idea. These officer will only be in charge of protection duties. What are they going to protect? People, institutions, buildings, facilities, fragile areas, missions and vehicles," he said.  

Bülent Forta, a former student leader in the 1970 period at Middle East Technical University and MÜYAP's (Professional Union of Linked Right Owner Phonogram Manifacturers) current chairperson, claimed that only organized spirit of students could protect the campus - and not police or private security firms.

"Universities must remain freedom hubs. If this hub is controlled by a government-led force, it will cause confrontations all the time. There is no place in the world with permanent campus police presence," he said.

Kazım Özdoğan, another former student leader at ITU during 1980's and a current publisher/translator, told bianet that the discussion of universities in the paradigm of security would only cause the campus colors to fade away.

"Universities are the cradle of sciences. Universities are platforms to demand and follow universal ideals and to create solutions for the "why" of problems. In order to protect this, universities must remain free," he said. 

Ahmet Saymadi, a student at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and a member of Solidarity Initiative with Jailed Students (TÖDI) claimed that police presence would have a major impact on the social aspect of campus life in Turkey, reminding how police intervened couples and outside drinkers with force in the past.  

"Police won't make the campus a safer place. On the contrary, it will make it a more insecure place. Whatever unrest happens inside campus, it is always due to whatever comes out of campus." (EKN/BM)