Activists launch ‘Towel protest’ to reclaim public beaches

İZMİR

Inspired by the “Towel Movement” in Greece, which aims to protest paid services on public beaches, activists in the Turkish Aegean holiday spot of Çeşme have thrown their towels on the shores of private beaches to demand full access.

A wave of protests against arbitrariness – the illegal seizure of coastal territories – swept popular Greece, attracting the attention of residents and foreign tourists. The “Towel Movement” launched on the Greek island of Paros is calling for the “cleaning” of public beaches occupied by greedy owners of beach bars and cafes.

Türkiye, similar to its neighbor, is also experiencing heavy commercialization in numerous public beaches from Istanbul's Prince Islands to the southern city of Antalya’s Kemer.

Despite the Turkish Constitution protecting citizens' right to free access to public areas such as beaches, unregulated businesses have been occupying these public beaches for years, charging high entrance fees.

The movement to end unfair profits, occupation and commercialization of public beaches spread across Türkiye as well, while in the western province of İzmir’s Çeşme district, one of the most popular holiday destinations, activists staged a protest by entering a facility that had fenced off a public beach area. The activists stressed that "accessing coastlines, beaches and the sea freely is a constitutional right."

"In the neighboring country [Greece], beaches are not blocked with wire fences like ours. Those who want can enter without paying, but businesses charge money for services such as sunbeds and umbrellas.

The Greeks started the 'Towel Movement' because there was no place to put towels on the sand as these paid sunbeds were everywhere. So they are lucky compared to us. We cannot even enter the beaches without paying the entrance fee," lawyer Seher Gacar said.

Reminding the constitutional right to free access to beaches and shores, Gacar urged both central and local governments to enforce oversight mechanisms.

She also stated that the timing of the protests alongside similar movements in Greece should be seen as an opportunity to raise awareness and reclaim this right that people have but can't fully utilize in both countries.

Ahmet Güler, spokesperson for the Çeşme Environmental Platform, pointed out that entrance fees at beaches have become exorbitant this summer season.

He highlighted that a family of four seeking to spend time at an ordinary public beach would need to sacrifice nearly a minimum wage amount.

Güler also noted that businesses don't just charge for entrance, they also compel visitors to use their food and beverage services, essentially establishing a minimum spending requirement.

"Unfortunately, not only in Çeşme but on all coasts, when you put your feet in the water, businesses are trying to collect money from you. They demand between 500 to 1,500 Turkish Liras," Güler said.

“We want this movement to spread all over Türkiye. People should protect their coasts and say stop to this trend.”