Mayor: 'Our youth camp has turned into a religious sect camp'

A group of men alleged to be members of a religious sect conducting activities at the Youth Camp belonging to the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the district of Fındıklı in Rize has sparked outrage among the local community.

Fındıklı Mayor Ercüment Çervatoğlu shared the footage that caused the outrage on his social media account, and wrote, "This footage from the youth camp, built with the resources of our town, is evidence that it was constructed not for the sports activities of our youth but for the organizing of religious sects."

In a video shared on Instagram with the caption "Kudurun Fatih'in nesli geliyor" (Beware, the descendants of Fatih are coming), a group of men wearing turbans, robes, and beards can be seen reciting religious chants and hymns.

Speaking to bianet, Mayor Çervatoğlu explained that the youth camp is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the municipality does not have any authority in this area. He stated, "The Ministry determines which groups can use the camp. We have no information, and we cannot enter or inspect the area. As you can see from the footage, it is no longer a youth camp; it has become a religious sect camp."

Çervatoğlu said they had inquired with the Fındıklı Directorate of Youth and Sports about the groups using the camp and how they were selected, and they were told that "the Ministry allocates the campsite to associations." These associations then bring their own members to the camp. However, there is no information about whether these groups are being monitored. He also questioned the classification of these individuals as "youth," asking, "Where is the youth in the people shown in this video?"

According to Çervatoğlu, the individuals currently staying at the youth camp have come from Erzurum. He mentioned that previous groups that used the camp had not caused any issues and had engaged in positive activities like garbage collection. He emphasized that this was the first time they had encountered such a situation, which is different from a typical youth camp, and that's why they reacted with concern.

 (ZA/VC/PE)