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Court-appointed administrator Gursel Tekin entered the Turkish main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul headquarters on Monday under heavy police protection despite protests.
The protesters threw water bottles during his statement, denying he was a "trustee" following a court's annulment of the party's Istanbul congress.
Tekin, appointed by court order after the Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance annulled the CHP's Istanbul Provincial Congress, arrived at the party building amid heightened security measures that had been in place since Sunday evening.
The Istanbul Governor's Office banned demonstrations and marches in six districts—Besiktas, Beyoglu, Eyupsultan, Kagithane, Sariyer and Sisli—following calls for gatherings at the CHP Istanbul headquarters.
During his statement outside the building, Tekin rejected accusations that he was acting as a government-appointed trustee, stating, "We are not trustees. The trustee is in Esenyurt, in Sisli."
A water bottle was thrown at Tekin while he addressed the crowd, prompting him to respond, "No problem, they can shoot bullets if they want."
Tekin emphasized his neutrality in the party's internal disputes, saying, "My colleagues and I on the committee have not been part of any aspect of the problem that has occurred until today. I even went further—as a Tekin who was not a delegate when the congress took place, I warned friends who were using harsh words against each other, and I told them not to do it."
"Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the problem between the parties, which has been going on for 1.5 years, has ended up in court corridors," he added.
Tekin insisted his appointment was aimed at resolving the main opposition party disputes rather than imposing external control.
"Our duty is to eliminate the injustice suffered by both delegates and our provincial administrators," Tekin stated, adding, "Despite our silence for six days, we said, 'Let's go hand in hand to our father's house.'"
"We came to solve problems. We are not in the fight; we are not the ones who took it to court," he emphasized.
After waiting in his vehicle for a period following his statement, Tekin entered the building through a police barricade. Riot police escorted him.
Regarding the water bottle incident, Tekin said, "Don't worry, your questions will be answered. We are extremely comfortable. We are not part of any aspect of this problem. We are not trustees or anything like that."
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CHP Group Deputy Chairman Ali Mahir Basarir, who was standing guard at the provincial building entrance, responded to Tekin's claim that none of the protesters were CHP members.
"It seems no fear in life is like the fear of someone who betrayed the people," Basarir said during a live broadcast on pro-opposition media outlet Sozcu.
"If you betray the people, you walk with umbrellas and guards, and you cannot enter your father's house with your head held high," he added.
"He says no one here is a CHP member. Everyone here is not a CHP member like him—they are honorable CHP members. This is a shameful scene," Basarir noted.
The court had annulled the CHP's 38th Ordinary Istanbul Provincial Congress held on Oct. 8, 2023, removing Istanbul Provincial Chairman Celik and the management from office.
The court appointed a temporary committee consisting of Tekin, Zeki Sen, Hasan Babacan, Mujdat Gurbuz and Erkan Narsap, though Babacan and Gurbuz later withdrew from their positions.
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