HDP mayoral candidates criticize Taksim project

Fırat Alkaç ISTANBUL / Hürriyet

HDP Istanbul co-mayoral candidate Sırrı Süreyya Önder (2 L) and Pınar Aydınlar (L) criticize Istanbul Municipality’s plans for Taksim Square. CİHAN Photo

Deputies for the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), including its Istanbul and Beyoğlu mayoral candidates, have criticized the controversial Taksim project, the images of which were recently released by the municipality.

HDP Istanbul co-mayoral candidate Sırrı Süreyya Önder said they wanted the municipality to scrap the project, as it would “not be able to manage it.”

Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul on Feb. 7, he also targeted Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş, accusing him of not involving the public or non-governmental organizations in the design of the project, and questioning whether there was a detailed plan for the project about how much would it cost.
“Did you leave soil in that area to plant trees, or are the trees going to grow in pots?” Önder asked, referring to the images.

Beyoğlu co-mayor candidate Korhan Gümüş claimed that the real goal of the project was to close the square to the public.

“There are green spaces in the project. What kind of green spaces are they? The ground of this area is concrete not soil. Their actual purpose is to make this place a closed area where a protest or a concert could not take place,” Gümüş said.

He also said that they found several mistakes when they examined the plans, stressing that a new project should be prepared with participation from the public and NGOs.

Gümüş and Önder were holding the press conference alongside Istanbul co-mayoral candidate Pınar Aydınlar and Beyoğlu co-mayoral candidate Seyhan Alma Ürek.