Türkiye - February 09, 2025 Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), wanted to hold a rally in Istanbul against US President Donald Trump’s plans to control Gaza and displace the people of Gaza from their homeland. The Istanbul Governor’s Office did not allow the CHP to hold a rally on the Galata Bridge, where institutions close to the government held crowded rallies for Gaza on January 1 in 2024 and 2025, saying, “This area is not among the permitted demonstration areas.” CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik also called on his party to declare that he did not recognize the ban and called for participation in the rally. The police, who had surrounded the area with a wide blockade before the rally, did not allow the CHP members who had gathered at the entrance of the Galata Bridge to march. CHP members also made a press statement at the entrance of the Galata Bridge, stating that double standards were being applied to them and protesting the ban decision. Political parties other than the CHP also supported the rally. Citizens who attended the rally with banners bearing messages of support for Palestine declared that they stand with the Palestinian people against Trump's deportation plans. SPEECHES 00:24:13 - 01:09:26 İsmet Başusta: We are here to condemn the occupation and massacre in Palestine. Long live the free Palestinian resistance… We want the imperialists to get out of the Middle East. It is obvious how much the political Islamists have betrayed the Palestinian cause. We especially condemn the fact that Mr. President (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) has not made a statement for 10 days. Why? Because America says it will forcibly displace the people of Gaza, that Israel will occupy Gaza and annex it to the territory of the Zionist state. We strongly condemn this. Down with Zionism… Long live the honorable resistance of Palestine… 01:28:19 - 02:37:27 Özgür Çelik (CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman): We were prevented from setting up a podium here and bringing sound equipment. We had to make our press statement under these conditions. Not only were our sound systems blocked; the vehicles of our party members who came here were stopped, and people were prevented from attending this rally. But those who allow rallies to be held here every January 1st regarding Gaza and Palestine have signed another double standard today. We condemn this double standard. We had announced that we would hold a press statement and a short march here on Friday. But our rally was banned (by the Istanbul Governorship). We stated that we would not back down from our idea of ​​holding a press statement here as a result of this ban. The historical peninsula where we are currently located (Eminönü-Fatih region) was blockaded 360 degrees, preventing sound systems and people from coming here. We condemn this. 03:10:29 - 03:57:00 Hüseyin Erciyas: We came here today because of the message given by the CHP Istanbul Provincial Directorate. Our main purpose here is this: US President Trump made a statement regarding Gaza saying, "We will occupy Gaza." As citizens of Turkey, which has a population of approximately 90 million, we are here to show through democratic means that this incident is wrong and that the Palestinian lands should belong to the Palestinians.