Actor Halil Ergün Slams Minister Soylu: ‘He Attacks While He Should Be Proud’

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"Every citizen in this country has the right to write theater plays, perform them on the stage and go and watch them. A rude way of doing politics is predominant in the country now, this issue has got very annoying. What are the artists expected to do, not live or not write theater plays?

"I mean, what should people do? Shouldn't they live or what? A politician who run for President in this country writes a book in prison. He attacks him while he should have been proud of that.

"It is a source of honor for us that artists like Kadir İnanır are in this country, but politicians cannot see that. How can I understand it?"

The above remarks are uttered by actor Halil Ergün. He is outraged and concerned. The reason for his concerns is Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu's targeting remarks about actor Kadir İnanır.

Artist Jülide Kural adapted Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) imprisoned former Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş's short story book "Devran" for the stage and the play made its debut in İstanbul on January 11.

Several people watched the play for the first time in Kenter Theater in Şişli. Among the audience was also actor Kadir İnanır.

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Speaking about the play and its audience in a speech at the opening of a ski center on Ilgaz Mountains in central Anatolia yesterday (January 12), Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu said, "You cannot clean the blood on your hands with theater plays."

He also targeted actor Kadir İnanır and others in following words:

"Mr. Kadir, you left it incomplete, those you went to that play, you left it incomplete. On one side of the theater hall, you should have put a picture of Yasin Börü, who was martyred, you should put the 39 slaughtered people," he said, referring to the people who died in protests that were held in October 2015 in the mostly Kurdish populated southeastern provinces.

"You cannot clean the blood on your hands with theater plays. You cannot fool this nation. You will not be able to divide this country," Soylu said, adding that "Turkey is not the old Turkey."

'I cannot understand it'

Actor Halil Ergün has slammed the above remarks of Soylu:

"You know, İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor says, 'Canal İstanbul is not political, but vital.' This issue is also like that now. The existence of artists in this country has also come to such a point. What are we supposed to do? Shouldn't we live? Shouldn't we produce?

"I mean, what should people do? Shouldn't they live or what? A politician who run for President in this country writes a book in prison. He attacks him while he should have been proud of that.

"I cannot understand it. No rationale can explain me that. How on earth can the minister of a country make such remarks about an artist?

'Kadir İnanır is the pride of this country'

"Kadir İnanır is one of the most important artists of this country. He is the pride of this society, he is the pride of the art. He is a figure who has taken on responsibility for social problems, how can you target him like that? It is appalling. It is a source of pride for us that artists like Kadir İnanır are in this country, but politicians cannot see that. How can I understand it?

"I cannot accept that the people, the artists who choose life and keeping alive are targeted like that. Artists are already defending life as required by their social duty, they take it to the stage.

"What part of it bothers politicians? Shouldn't the artists who do not think like politicians live in this country? Shouldn't artists live in this country because they do not agree with politicians?

'He attacks the art'

"Art defends life. And the ones who went there were watching the artists defending life. It is also very significant that Kılıçdaroğlu's wife Selvi Kılıçdaroğlu and İmamoğlu's wife Dilek İmamoğlu watched it as well. There is a woman on the stage. It is also an attack against her. I cannot accept it.

"He interferes in the ones who went there to watch it. Is it the job of the Minister of Interior? It is an intervention against the art and artist. He intervenes in what the people should watch and what they should not." (EMK/SD)