Police, Inspectors Raid Gülen-Inspired Private School In İstanbul

Police and inspectors from several government organizations raided a branch of Fatih College in İstanbul's Bahçelievler district on Wednesday, as part of a government-orchestrated operation targeting the faith-based Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement.

The raid was carried out by officers from the Anti-smuggling and Organized Crime Bureau (KOM), who accompanied inspectors from numerous state agencies, including the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, and the Social Security Institution (SGK).

School authorities were surprised by the raid, as the college is regularly inspected every 18 months. According to a report from the Cihan news agency, when lawyers representing the school demanded to see a written search warrant, the inspectors failed to present one.

Furkan Çevik, a lawyer representing the Fatih Educational Institutions, has denounced the raid as unlawful. “The raids are intended to make parents afraid to enroll students here ahead of the start of the academic year and we will demand justice,” he said.

Also on Wednesday, police and inspectors raided branches of the private Betül Educational Institution in Manisa's Kırkağaç district. Manisa is one of five provinces where raids on Gülen-inspired private and prep schools were conducted on Aug. 26. Manisa branches of the Şehzade Mehmet Educational Institution were raided for the second time on Aug. 27 and for the third time on Monday, while branches of the Birlik Educational Institution in Manisa's Soma district were raided on Tuesday.

In addition, approximately 15 officers accompanied inspectors as they raided two private and two prep schools in Çorum's Alaca district on Wednesday. Ahmet Görür, a lawyer representing the Alaca branch of the private FEM prep schools, spoke to Cihan. “An investigation has been launched against us on the charges of violating the Tax Procedure Law. We will give no trouble [to officers and inspectors]. Right now, our officers and soldiers are being martyred in the East and the situation is complicated. May God give us justice, because everyone in the country needs it,” Görür said, referencing recent terrorist attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

An increasing number of schools sympathetic to the Gülen movement have been targeted by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) following a major investigation into graft that implicated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other top AK Party figures, which was made public on Dec. 17, 2013. Then-Prime Minister Erdoğan accused the Gülen movement of instigating the operation in order to overthrow his government.

In May 2014, Erdoğan publicly advised AK Party supporters not to send their children to schools affiliated with the movement, vowing, “We will not even give water [to the movement's members].” He has also said he would carry out a “witch hunt” against anyone with links to the movement. Erdoğan has also ordered officials in AK Party-run municipalities to seize land and buildings belonging to the Gülen movement by any means necessary. The movement strongly rejects the allegations and no indictment has been brought against it.