As this weekend’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) congress got under way, organisers took swift action to remove a banner calling for peace.
The banner, unfurled by peace protestors, appeared alongside other canvasses displayed at the event. The takedown has upset online activists and could threaten to deepen the divide amongst Turkey’s already-fragmented opposition. Many Turks believe that peace will not serve the immediate interests of the state and strongly oppose the calls for a cessation to operations in Turkey’s war-torn southeast.
CHP Kurultayında BARIŞ AŞİTİ Pankartı Görevliler tarafından kaldırldı Barış pankartnı kaldıran mı çözecek sorunu? pic.twitter.com/0Y9zdgFN8V
— Baran Doğu (@brndogu) January 16, 2016
The CHP congress itself is no stranger to removed notices. Last month The Ankara Metropolitan Municipality denied the CHP permission to hang announcement notices for the congress around the city.
The two-day CHP extraordinary congress has been called to elect new administrators and bring about change. Party officials desire to increase participation by women and minorities in a bid to reach a younger and more dynamic electorate.
