March 11, 2006 The Students at Aegean University in the Western coast city of Izmir protested the ex-General Hurşit Tolon who participated in the previous military coup of 1981. The ex-General was participating in a panel organized by the Secularist Association at the Aegean University. When the students demanded to enter the conference hall, the […]
March 11, 2006
The Students at Aegean University in the Western coast city of Izmir protested the ex-General Hurşit Tolon who participated in the previous military coup of 1981. The ex-General was participating in a panel organized by the Secularist Association at the Aegean University. When the students demanded to enter the conference hall, the private security crews attacked them with batons and pepper sprays. However, the students soon overpowered the private security guards and the “Agile Forces” police entered the university with their Panzer tanks to prevent the students from participating in the discussions. Students, numbering around 100 said the coup leaders had no place in a university, but they needed to be taken to justice. They also said the universities were places of education and the police and coup leaders should immediately leave the premises. It was announced that the students would be staying in front of the conference hall until the military coup leader Hurşit Tolon left the campus. Saying his hands were tied, the vice-Rector of the Aegean University once again showed the collusion between the security forces and the university administration. The students chanted, “Budget for Education, Not for War,” “Coup leaders OUT, Science IN,” “Police OUT, Science IN,” “Down with the Secret Service, CIA and the Counter-Guerilla,” “General Hurşit will be Tried!” While they waited, students collectively danced folk dances to traditional folk songs.
One interesting fact about the conference was that many other students were forcefully brought to listen to the ex-soldier. The fear of low attendance to a propaganda speech while classes were in session made the administration cancel come classes and forcefully lead the students of those classes to the conference hall where the military coup leader would appear. Disruption and student reaction to one of the the leaders of the bloody 1980 military coup forced the meeting to end prematurely at 4:00PM when it was previously scheduled to last until 6:00PM.
Source: Devrimci Gençlik; Revolutionary Youth
M.B.