Turkish minority in Western Thrace celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary of The day known as the “Day of Resistance” as they continue struggle for their rights in the region Where the dates of the Turkish Ottoman legacy back to the fourteenth century.
By the way of Anniversary, Trakya Balkan University Research Institute Associate Deputy Director professor Ali Hüseyinoglu pointed out that the Turks of Western Thrace ‘ struggle for rights on January 29, 1988 was a turning point for Western Thracian Turks.
Hüseyinoglu told Anadolu Agency (AA) that this more More than 10,000 Turks gathered in Komotini (Jomulcin) on January 29, 1988, to claim their rights and declared January 29 “today of Social solidarity and national resistance “to it struggle.
expressing that first The dimension of the struggle It was basic Human rights violations as a result of Pressure, intimidation and discrimination policies of Greek governments on The Turkish minority since the 1960s, Huseyinoglu said: “The second one I was in 1980s, which formed of Greek abolition of Turk phrase in Names of The “Komotini Turkish Youth Union” and the “Turkish Teachers’ Union of Western Thrace” were founded in the 1920s and 1930s, respectively. ”
He pointed out that it was final judicial decision of Greek court of veto for decay of the last two associations in 1987 with The slogan “There are no Turks in Western Thrace “which led to” denial of Turkish identity ” and that decision It was ”last straw” in Turkish minority struggle, which was ongoing on for a period.
Husein Oglu continued: “Members of turkish minority, with their countrymen, the villagers, young people, women, elders, imams, teachers, and leading personalities like Dr. Sadiq Ahmed, Ibrahim Sharif, Muhammad Amin Agha, and Ismail Rodebello worked together. from the center of they shouted Komotini in Harmony with all world that all practices of Injustice and discrimination against With them should That their religious identity is Muslim and that their ethnic identity is Turkish and that they are not want to be treated as secondThe category of citizens who Have been discriminated against, overt or covert. It was about restoring a file basic Human rights and minorities, for which there are no identities one It can deny that it was violated for contracts.”
he also He said that in spite of the festivities on the first Anniversary of January 29th passed smoothly, on January 29, 1990, second year and subsidiaries of the Turks in Komotini was targeted by fanatical Greek groups.
remind of these accidents of Violence and vandalism against Hüseyinoglu said, Turkish-owned companies: “The fact that these accidents took place in Central location points Where the Greek security forces took control, and that though shops of So were the Turks and the Greeks side by sidethe material Only damage occurred in the shops belong to the Turks, caused Tension between the Turkish minority and the Greek majority in Western Thrace will increase. ”
Hüseyinoğlu stated that despite the rights of The Turks were of Greek descent restored distance strugglethe problems related to the rights of minorities stemming from being a minority that persisted for the last 30 years.
Expressing that Turkish Muslim community calculate a population of 150 thousand citizens in Western Thrace region of In northern Greece, Huseyinoglu said that although 35 years have passed since January 29, 1988, it is chronic and new problems They are still experienced by the Turkish Muslim minority in many regions.
”Of denial.” of The Turkish ethnic identity of the Mufti’s related issues foundation Administrative committees of the victims of Article 19 for bilingual minority education, this problems continue to exist.”
Although the solution to this problems By the Greek authorities will contribute to the merger of The Turkish minority community into the Greek majority society without assimilation, we testify that steps expected by members of Turkish minority on This and similar issues are not taken in last 30 years before Greece became a member of European Union in 1981”.
