The Police

Diyarbakır, Turkey, 15 February 2009. The tenth anniversary of the capture of the PKK leader Abduallah Öcalan. Early hours in the morning, silent and empty streets left by many shopkeepers who did not open their stores contrast to snowballing crowds on several other streets where hundreds of people are fevering for the demonstration. MPs from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and the municipal authorities of the same party are rushing to the police to convince them to permit a peaceful march with promises of no public order disruptions. Mayor Osman Baydemir talks to the chief officers: OB

We definitely do not want anything like disorder.

Officer

Neither do we.

OB

I wish to share the same feelings with you.

Officer

Of course.

OB

Thus we need to behave with a shared mind… I believe that if all the people could express themselves through dialogue, no problems would occur. My suggestion is this: we will use one line of the avenue. As we did before, we will walk on this line to the front of the Fatih High School. From there on, we'd like to make our press declaration in front of the Human Rights Statue. Then we will disperse quietly.

Officer

I want to ask you this: Who is making this event? What is this event?

OB

This is an event by our provincial organization. It is not an illegal event. The vehicle of our party is here, our provincial party chief is here, and our mayor [himself] is here.

Officer

OK, but now explain to me: Do human rights in Diyarbakır only belong to the 1,500 people gathered here? What about the human rights of the one million and fifty thousand people remaining?

OB

Even if there are five people, we should let them express themselves so that they will say, “They are showing respect to us.”

Officer

You could have made an application, we would have provided the security…

OB

The country will not collapse with slogans, my dear… Without any problems people will go back to their homes. Thus, with utmost sincerity, with utmost effort, we will do our best together with our MPs, our provincial chief, our mayors.

Officer (talking on the radio to another officer)

There is another group on the Sakarya Avenue, right? OK, do what's necessary. ¹