13,000 Turkish Cypriots march against plan to legalise hijabs in schools

An estimated 13,000 Turkish Cypriots took to the streets of Lefkosa on Tuesday evening to protest against the ruling coalition’s attempts to legalise the wearing of hijabs and other religious garments by children at public schools in north Cyprus.

The protest was joined by high-profile figures from across the Turkish Cypriot political spectrum, including opposition party the CTP’s leader and election candidate Tufan Erhurman and figures from other opposition parties the TDP and bicommunal Volt, as well as from a plethora of trade unions and industry guilds.

Also present and making a rare public appearance in frontline politics was former TRNC president Mustafa Akinci, who said he came so that Turkish Cypriots can exist with their own free will. "I came here to say no to all kinds of political oppression,” he said.

Mustafa Akinci at the protest

Former Cyprus problem chief negotiators Ozdil Nami, who worked under Mehmet Ali Talat and Mustafa Akinci, and Kudret Ozersay, who worked under Dervish Eroglu, were also present.

“We are not here to send a message. We came to protect the Turkish Cypriots’ own modern and secular education system,” Ozersay told the Cyprus Mail.

Another notable presence was Rauf Denktash, the grandson of the eponymous influential late Turkish Cypriot leader, who had historically been a supporter of the TRNC’s incumbent ruling coalition and of TRNC president Ersin Tatar, even publicly endorsing Tatar’s 2020 election campaign against his father Serdar Denktash’s wishes at the time.

Serdar Denktash was himself at the protest, as was fellow son of an influential Turkish Cypriot Mehmet Kucuk, the son of the Republic of Cyprus’ first Vice President Dr Fazil Kucuk, was also among the 13,000.

The protest began at the “Citroen lights” at the arterial Dereboyu Avenue before snaking its way southwards and then eastwards towards Lefkosa’s old town and Ersin Tatar’s official residence on the Venetian walls’ Quirini Bastion.

When the front of the protest arrived at the gates of Tatar’s official residence, Cyprus Turkish secondary education teachers’ trade union (Ktoeos) secretary-general Tahir Gokcebel half-jokingly said to the awaiting police officers, “we have come here to go and shout at the president, would you mind letting us in?”

After the police responded in the negative, he made an impromptu speech at the gates.

“He is also sending us and this community a message like this,” he began, of Tatar.

“Someone who continues to sit in over there and not represent this community cannot speak on behalf of this community. This community’s will is over here! It is over here!”, he said, pointing at the thousands of protesters stood behind him.

He then turned back to the gates, demanding that Tatar come to meet him there, before making reference to “bending the truth” – a phrase Tatar had used when accepting ruling coalition party the UBP’s endorsement for election last week.

“Does that bending of the truth pass this society by?” he asked, before his union’s leader Selma Eylem began a chant of “Cyprus is secular and will stay secular!”, which was then repeated back to her by the protesters who were close enough to hear, before the chant rippled backwards down Tanzimat Street, which sits atop the wall.

Tahir Gokcebel speaks outside Tatar’s official residence

The protestors then gathered on the four-lane Cemal Gursel Street, which is located outside the old town and ends at the junction with 2. Selim (Markou Drakou) Street, on which the TRNC’s ‘parliament’ building and the Turkish embassy face each other.

There, a stage had been set up, and with protesters still filing onto the street, union leaders began making speeches.

Selma Eylem was first up, telling the crowd, “we have filled the squares once again to say ‘no way’ to the hands which reach out to try to grab our will, our secular society, our schools, our girls, our women, and our future”.

“Society’s will is here. To the government which made this decision, you no longer represent this society. Resign! … We will not recognise your regulation or you! Go away, already, go away!”

Cyprus Turkish teachers’ trade union (Ktos) chairman Mustafa Baybora was the next to speak, firstly decrying the “political, social, and cultural decay in the country”, but then saying the Turkish Cypriots’ will “is here, in Nicosia, in Cyprus” and calling on the north’s ruling coalition to “respect this will”.

“We are faced with a government which is plundering this country by taking orders. They have not left us any breathing space. We are here to protect this country. This is a government known for fake diplomas, bribery, and corruption. They are corruption champions,” he said.

He went on to say, “we will never give way to reactionism, we will never allow religion to be politicised – Cyprus is secular and will remain secular!” before turning his attention to ‘education minister’ Nazim Cavusoglu.

“I am asking him from here, will you organise Sharia law educational activities in schools next?”, he said, before calling on him to resign and then linking the protest to the ongoing protests taking place in Turkey to protest the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

“Teachers do not beg. Teachers do not bow down. Teachers do not beg. Teachers teach lessons. As Ekrem said, everything is going to be great!”