Youth in the streets teach a lesson: Main opposition leader

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Kılıçdaroğlu says he has never seen such a crowd of young people. DAILY NEWS photo

The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party has underlined that everybody, including the government and his own party, should draw lessons from the mass street protests that have convulsed the country for days.

Addressing his parliamentary group yesterday, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu used wary language in his speech, avoiding inflammatory messages against the government.

“What I expect from the prime minister is also the expectation of this society... He has constitutional responsibilities to maintain public peace,” said Kılıçdaroğlu. A country’s prime minister cannot rule with emotions, the CHP leader stated. Discussing the young protestors who poured into the streets for days, he said Turkey and the politicians should read this generation very carefully.

“We have held hundreds of rallies, but have never seen so many young people at any political party meeting,” said the CHP leader, adding that those youngsters demanded freedom and democracy. 
There were people on the streets of all parties, identities, and beliefs, Kılıçdaroğlu said, stressing that everybody should take lessons. “We, as the CHP, also have to take lessons, understand this youth, pay attention to their reactions carefully,” he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu criticized the continued fierce police crackdown on people involved in sit-in protests in Gezi Park using tear gas, burning their tents. Police should avoid excessive use of force, he added.