Citizens protest price increases in Turkey

* Photo: EHP / Twitter

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Democratic mass organizations and political party representatives met in front of the Beşiktaş İskele Square in Kadıköy yesterday (February 20) and protested the recent price increases in Turkey.

The protest was attended by several citizens, including Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs Musa Piroğlu and Züleyha Gülüm.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the group chanted the slogans, "Invisible labor; raise your voice", "Price hike, persecution, torture; here is the AKP", "As long as we stay silent, new price increases will follow", "One cannot live with these price hikes, withdraw them".

Joining the protest, workers, students, farmers and women took the floor in turns and talked about the hardships they face. Underlining that they cannot make a living anymore due to the price increases, they reiterated their demands for the withdrawal of the price hikes.

The statement for the press read out by political party representatives also said: "We will either accept the exorbitant bills sent to our houses and workplaces and get used to living in cold and darkness or rip up the bill imposed on people to fill the vaults of a handful of companies."

Referring to the price increases introduced to the electricity and natural gas bills, the statement emphasized that nothing has changed even though President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced amid public outrage that the increases in electricity prices will be the case for the consumption of over 210 kilowatts.

The statement read, "What has changed? Nothing. This arrangement made for the show only has not reduced the bills. On the contrary, very high bills were sent to our houses in February as well."

Exorbitant prices everywhere

The group stressed that "not only bills, but the prices of everything are also exorbitant" in Turkey: "Transportation fees have been increased by 36 percent in İstanbul. Rents have increased by at least 58 percent over the past year. Food prices have also increased."

Underlining that consumer inflation rate has hit 50 percent even according to the official data of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), but the real rate is much higher, the joint statement read:

"We cannot get warm, we cannot eat, we cannot find shelter. While people have been crushed under high costs of living, bosses have been adding wealth to their wealth. They have stolen our right to energy and sold it to people at increased prices. We will have it changed."

At this point, the group said:

"To whom do we pay the price that is four times higher than the one sold by the state? To electricity distribution companies. Who are they? 14 large capital groups. A handful of companies with the consortiums that they have established: Cengiz, Kolin, Limak, Sabancı, Zorlu, Aksa, Çalık... They are all very familiar! Wherever there is exploitation of labor or plunder of nature, these companies turn out to be behind it."

Accusing these companies of "stealing the wealth produced by laborers and plundering the assets of Turkey", the protesters raised concerns that Isparta province had been left in cold and darkness for days and one person was frozen to death there in the year 2022.

Requests

The following requests were raised during the protest:

* Withdraw the price hikes; make the monopolies pay the bills
* Remove taxes on basic consumption goods
* Offer electricity free of charge (max. 230 kilowatts)
* Ensure that electricity distribution and power generation are publicly undertaken; seize the companies, open them to people's inspection.
* They take from the poor and give to the rich. We will have these price increases withdrawn. (RT/SD)