Teachers, Students Boycott Classes For Education Reform

A countrywide boycott in elementary, secondary and high schools has been initiated by the appeal of Eğitim-Sen educators union and Alevi organizations. 

The boycott has been launched as of this morning to urge authorities to remove compulsory religion classes and education in mother tongue. 

Within the boycott, parents don’t send their children to school and others take the streets to protest. 

Teachers

Educators from Eğitim-Sen union also joined the protest by leaving work and initiated three main marches located in Turkey’s biggest cities - Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir.

Participation

It has been reported that United June Movement (BHH), Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) and KESK union as well as other political parties and organizations are supporting the boycott in the countrywide level. 

Some of the cities that bianet reached concerning coverage are as follows: Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Antalya, Diyarbakır, Samsun Eskişehir, Bursa, Malatya and Fethiye.

Detentions, assaults 

On the other hand, several violence against protestors cases have been reported across Turkey. 

In Istanbul’s Gülsuyu district, Velider organization and Parents of National Education Foundation took the street outside a public school. The gathering was intervened by the police. Several detentions were reported. 

In Istanbul’s Idealtepe district, ultranationalist gray wolves attacked those students who gathered outside Hasan Şadoğlu High School. Injuries were reported.

In Istanbul’s Gülsuyu district, the boycott in Kaşgarlı Mahmut Middle Schools had a 100 percent success. Police forces outside the school, on the other hand, assaulted parents and students, detaining 10 people. 

İleri Haber reporter Meryem Yıldırım has been assaulted by the police as she was covering boycotts in Gülsuyu district where police tanks called scorpions and TOMAs assaulted demonstrators. (YY/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.