İmamoğlu in Konya: 'The stone was not thrown at me, but at our nation and democracy'

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İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and the future Vice-President if the Nation Alliance wins the presidential elections, Ekrem İmamoğlu, addressed a meeting held in Konya and talked about the attack made yesterday (May 7) in Erzurum, where stones were thrown at his bus from which he was to address the crowd.  

"We will unite in such a way that this will be the union of 86 million. Not one single person will be left outside. We are coming to embrace everyone," İmamoğlu said. 

Mentioning yesterday's attack in Erzurum, he first said that he has brought the greetings of the people of Erzurum. "The 150-200 people are not worth booing," İmamoğlu said, and added, "We will talk about all of these. Because the stone has not been thrown at me, but at our nation and democracy. 

"We are in difficult times. There will be those who will try to provoke you; but let me read what a young woman has written here: "Let them throw stones, we will answer with roses. Everybody does what suits them the best." 

"We are coming so as to heal both those who deceive and those who are deceived. We are coming so as to defeat the evils, and to have this country win what is good. The people of this country have always ensured that goodness will win."

"150-200 people have nothing to do with Erzurum"

"The Governor of Erzurum assured us that we will have no problems, with the 5000 police officers they have appointed. On the way there unfortunately we were not able to observe any security measures. And you have all watched, when I started to talk to the people, 150-200 people started to throw stones at us. I saw in front of me that children, women, and the elderly were injured. I had to leave, inviting the governor, and the chief of the police to their duty. 

"These 150-200 persons throwing stones at my beautiful people waving our national flag there, have nothing to do with Erzurum. The one giving the instructions to the police officers who only watch this event when stones are being thrown at the people is the chief police officer. It cannot be anyone else, it is very clear, " İmamoğlu said and added that he knew how sad the real people of Erzurum were due to this event.  

"We will bring them to account at the court"

"One week is left. One week later the provocative, divisive, aggressive tongues, and minds will go back to their home. They will be brought to account at the courts," said İmamoğlu.

What happened?

A crowd of a few hundred people targeted İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu's election rally with a stone-throwing attack yesterday in Erzurum, eastern Turkey.

After the attack, some members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) applauded the incident on social media, while AKP Erzurum Metropolitan Mayor Mehmet Sekmen shifted the blame to İmamoğlu and Republican People's Party (CHP) members. 

The interior minister also implied that the attack was "staged" by the opposition.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the joint presidential candidate of the Nation Alliance of six opposition parties and the leader of CHP said, in relation to the attack that took place in Erzurum, "All of Turkey will keep calm. Turkey is a country of a moderate majority. This majority will bring this evil to an end.

An investigation was started and thirteen people have been taken into custody related to the attack. (VC/PE)