Main opposition CHP head Kılıçdaroğlu continues march from Ankara to Istanbul on fifth day

ANKARA

DHA photo

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has vowed to continue “marching for justice for 80 million with determination” on the fifth day of his protest march from the Turkish capital Ankara to Istanbul.

“We do not hurt anybody, we do not say a bad word to anybody. We want 80 million people to live in peace and harmony together,” Kılıçdaroğlu said in Kızılcahamam, a forested area on the outskirts of Ankara on June 19, where he spent the night after the fourth day of his march.

Planning to walk another 20 km on the fifth day of his march, the CHP head was questioned by reporters about harsh criticism from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regarding the protest.

“There might be attacks against us. There might be some people who criticize us or try to make us angry. They are all welcome. I will march in determination and in persistence for justice for 80 million people,” he said.

“Yesterday we walked under the rain. The trucks, vans and private vehicles that passed by may wonder why we are doing so. I just want to tell them that we are walking for justice. If there is a human being anywhere, there has to be justice,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

The CHP head decided to walk to Istanbul from Ankara – a total difference of around 426 km - after CHP Istanbul deputy Enis Berberoğlu was sentenced to 25 years in jail for “revealing state secrets” on June 14.

“It is not just a struggle or demand for Enis Berberoğlu,” Kılıçdaroğlu had said on June 16, stressing that he is marching to Istanbul for “everyone who wants justice.”