Kılıçdaroğlu issues a challenge to Erdoğan: Come if you are not yellow.

Kılıçdaroğlu said, ‘If you have the courage and are not a coward, are not yellow or a vandal, come at any time you want on your media machine and let us discuss 15 July together. Appear in front of me. I am issuing an open challenge to you. If you have the courage you will appear. Let everyone learn who is telling the truth and who is not.’
 
CHP General Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu addressed his party’s group meeting. Kılıçdaroğlu, voicing the sorrow he felt at the murder of Necmettin Yılmaz by PKK members, commented, ‘How can we but curse terrorism? How can we but curse those who support terrorism? I express my condolences to all my educationalist brothers through the person of that teacher. You pay a price for our children. This brother of ours was the honour and pride of us all. We hope that God will have mercy on his soul and extend our condolences to his family and the whole educational world. Just like Şenay teacher, we have also seen him off on his last journey. He also lost his life to a PKK bullet. Whoever commits terrorism, we curse them. I have called his father and he is suffering heartache at the loss of his son. We curse terrorism, whoever commits it. We equally curse PKK, FETO, DHKP-C and Al-Nusra terrorism. Nobody’s life is cheap in this country. Whoever supports terrorism and sets the scene for it, we curse them all. Whoever sits at the table with a terrorist organisation and whoever instructs provincial governors saying, “Mind, now, they are from the PKK. Don’t touch them,” we curse them all, all of them.’
 ‘WE HELD THIS MARCH FOR THE AGGRIEVED WHO ARE SEEKING RIGHTS AND THE LAW’
Kılıçdaroğlu, mentioning the ‘Justice March’, commented, ‘We are at the first group meeting following the holding of the justice march. We have left a mark in world history. We tried to explain the exalted nature of justice in the world. They said they would block us but were unable to do so. We held the most peaceful protest in the world. They threw stones and staged provocations, but both the tens of thousands and the hundreds of thousands staunchly denied permission to provocation. I am in peace of mind and pride at the staging of such a patriotic action. I send my heart-felt salutations and respect to the participants. We held this march for the aggrieved who are seeking rights and the law. We held it for the imprisoned journalists seeking justice and for our brothers Nuriye and Semih who are on hunger strike. We held it because we are against IS, the PKK, FETO and Al-Nusra, that is terrorism. We held this march for Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, whose file has been closed but who still seeks justice. We held this march for the imprisoned military students, privates and petty officers. We held this march for our young children who were in quest of justice and were lynched on the evening of 15 July, and the imprisoned MPs. We held it to say let no distinctions be drawn among the fallen and heroes in combat and that those who do this are traitors. We held this march of ours for the world to hear of the constitution that we have proclaimed to be illegitimate, for Madımak and Başbağlar, which have been seeking justice for years. We held it for our friends who fell and took heroic action on the Mavi Marmara. We held it for the business world that cannot raise its voice for fear and has no safety of life and property. We held this march of ours for the merit system to be restored in the state. We held this march of ours for the political leg of FETO to be brought into the open. There was participation from all political views on the march. We marched for justice.’
THEY CANNOT SAY, ‘BROTHER, THERE IS JUSTICE IN THIS COUNTRY SO WHY ARE YOU MARCHING?’
Kılıçdaroğlu commented, ‘The one who rules the country said, “Justice is not to be sought in the streets.” Democracy is to be sought and fought for in the streets. We have 250 fallen. If there is no justice, is there a state? Justice, morality and identity come above all. Without there being justice there is nothing at all. It is the basis of the state and humanity. They cannot say, “Brother, there is justice in this country so why are you marching?” They, too, know that there is no justice in this country. All sections of society are complaining about injustice.’


‘ACCESS TO JUSTICE BY THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED INJUSTICE UNDER DECREES WITH THE FORCE OF LAW HAS BEEN RESTRICTED OR DISREGARDED’
Kılıçdaroğlu said, ‘There is something I have witnessed for the first time under this government’s watch: Access to justice by those who have suffered injustice under decrees with the force of law has been restricted or disregarded. The most typical example is İbrahim Kaboğlu. He was going to bring legal action and was denied permission, and was denied permission to leave the country. World history has not recorded injustice of this magnitude against a scientist.’
 
‘YOU WILL SEE THAT THEIR ENDS WILL BE BITTER’
Kılıçdaroğlu said, ‘Yunus put it so well, “There can be no prosperity under oppression. The end of one who prospers under oppression will be bitter,” and you will see that their ends will be bitter.’
 
‘WE HAVE NO END OF RESPECT FOR THE PEOPLE’S 15 JULY’
Kılıçdaroğlu, touching on the 15 July commemorations, commented, ‘We celebrated 15 July last week. There are two 15 Julys. One is the people’s 15 July, and one the palace’s 15 July. The martyrs of the people’s 15 July are our heroes. They stood up for democracy and the national will. Their fight is the people’s fight. We take them in our embrace. They stood up and fought for democracy, parliament and the national will. Their fight is the people’s fight. We have no end of respect for the people’s 15 July. Then there is the palace’s 15 July. Those who took advantage of the people’s 15 July and staged the 20 July civilian coup. Those who mapped out their own future. We will draw a distinction between the two. Social consensus is at the heart of democracies.’


‘THE FIGHT AGAINST FETO TURNED INTO A FIGHT AGAINST WHOEVER WAS IN OPPOSITION TO THE RULERSHIP’
Kılıçdaroğlu said, ‘After the coup, we all came together. We opposed the coup. We said, “Let’s normalise fast.” They proclaimed the state of emergency. They sacked thousands of people whether justified or not. Before long, the fight against FETO turned into a fight against whoever was in opposition to the rulership.’
 
‘WHAT CONNECTION DO İBRAHIM KABOĞLU, CUMHURIYET NEWSPAPER AND SÖZCÜ NEWSPAPER HAVE WITH FETO?’
Kılıçdaroğlu continued as follows, ‘What connection do İbrahim Kaboğlu, Cumhuriyet newspaper and Sözcü newspaper have with FETO? I would like to give a peculiar example from the palace’s 15 July. Can Dündar and Erdem Gül's trial is being heard on 1 April. A little later, a memorandum is submitted to parliament about our Sakarya MP, Engin Özkoç. There are twelve pieces of evidence. Asking why he attended that trial and shouted slogans. Was Engin Özkoç there? No. So, how come you put together twelve pieces of false evidence? Where was Engin Özkoç? In Sakarya. I call out to these prosecutors. Are you really prosecutors? The palace’s prosecutors cannot be the Republic’s prosecutors. What state of affairs is this?’
 
THIS RESEMBLES PAST CHRONICLES ABOUT THE COSMIC ROOM BEING HANDED OVER TO THE FETO ORGANISATION
This resembles past chronicles about an assassination being staged against an MP in Ankara when he was in Manisa and the Cosmic Room being handed over to the FETO organisation. It is the same affair. Where was Bülent Arınç? In Manisa. An assassination was staged in Ankara. An assassination is staged in Ankara against an MP who is in Manisa. The state hands over all its secrets to the FETO organisation. I curse those who handed them over and they will be held to account.


‘THEY RAISED THE HOUSE REGULATIONS IN PARLIAMENT. THE OPPOSITION IS SPEAKING TOO MUCH – OK, LET’S NOT SPEAK AT ALL.’
We talk of living together and they talk of a single man and an authoritarian regime. They raised the house regulations in parliament. The opposition is speaking too much – OK, let’s not speak at all. Close the opposition and let there be none.’


‘THAT PERSON IS NOT THE PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER BUT THE SLAVE OF THE PALACE’S ORDERS. NOT EVEN THE WIND VANE TURNS SO FAST’
Kılıçdaroğlu, criticising parliamentary speaker İsmail Kahraman, continued as follows, ‘Who is on the government’s agenda? I am again. I was there during the referendum. I say let light be shone on all dimensions of the 15 July coup attempt. His excellency is cross with me. I call out from the rooftops for FETO’s political leg to be brought into the open and he gets cross. I say let fair trials be held and he takes offence again and calls me ungrateful. I defend the rule of law and he defends dictatorial rule. I am on the side of Abraham and he roots for Nimrod. However, I know he is very scared. If you have not abused the mortal rights of others and have fought for justice, what are you to be afraid of? But he is scared. They changed the 15 July invitations three times. Plagued by the prospect of Kılıçdaroğlu turning up and speaking. The parliamentary speaker changed. He changed at the behest of the single man, of the authority. That person is not the parliamentary speaker but the slave of the palace’s orders.’
 
‘CAN THERE BE A PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER BEREFT OF WILL? HE HAS NO WILL.’
Can there be a parliamentary speaker bereft of will? He has no will. Not even the wind vane turns so fast. I spoke in parliament and they woke up with a jolt wondering why Kılıçdaroğlu was saying these things. But, they cannot say he is wrong, they say don’t talk about it.’
 
‘CREATE AS MANY CONSPIRACIES AS YOU LIKE. WHOEVER STRAYS FROM THE PATH OF JUSTICE, RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE LAW IS ODIOUS.’
Kılıçdaroğlu wound up as follows, ‘All of this morning’s debate revolved around me. Kılıçdaroğlu says, “He did this and that and will give account.” Create as many conspiracies as you like. Whoever strays from the path of justice, righteousness and the law is odious.
 
‘I AM ISSUING AN OPEN CHALLENGE TO THIS INDIVIDUAL. IF YOU ARE NOT A COWARD, ARE NOT YELLOW OR A VANDAL, APPEAR IN FRONT OF ME.’
Now, I am issuing an open challenge to this individual. I say it using his words. If you have the courage and are not a coward, are not yellow or a vandal, come at any time you want on your media machine and let us discuss 15 July together. Appear in front of me. I am issuing an open challenge to you. If you have the courage you will appear.
 
‘IF YOU ARE NOT A COWARD, ARE NOT YELLOW OR A VANDAL, APPEAR IN FRONT OF ME. I AM ISSUING AN OPEN CHALLENGE TO YOU.’
I call out to that individual who is the palace’s slave. Dear brother, if you are not a coward, are not yellow or a vandal, appear in front of me. I am issuing an open challenge to you. If you have the courage you will appear. Let the people learn who is telling the truth and who is not.’