23.06.2026 12:01
Utku Gumrukcu, appointed by the CHP Headquarters to the Izmir Provincial Directorate, took over the duty after a brawl caused by the dismissed former administration. Describing the eventful night at a press conference, Gumrukcu showed reporters a bedroom built right next to the office, unable to hide his surprise, saying, "There is a bizarre room here; we don't understand why it was built."
The duty change at the Republican People's Party (CHP) Izmir Provincial Headquarters brought tensions and interesting details. Utku Gümrükçü, appointed as the Provincial Chair by the headquarters decision and starting his duty as of yesterday, mentioned the events of the handover night in a press conference and shared the unusual scene he encountered at the party building with the public.
FIGHT BROKE OUT IN THE BUILDING
As known, a serious tension and fight occurred the previous night in the party building between the former provincial chair Çağatay Güç, who was dismissed, and his group, and the new administration. Emphasizing that what happened did not align with the party's regulations, Utku Gümrükçü claimed that he sent flowers as a goodwill gesture to reduce tension, but this step was met with violence. Gümrükçü alleged that the person bringing the flowers was assaulted by the former administrators.
"THEY LABELED US AS BAR THUGS"
Recalling that he has served at every level of the party for many years, Gümrükçü harshly criticized the attitude of the former administration, stating:
"Those friends who are unaware that colleagues working in youth, women's branches, and district organizations are even CHP members, labeling them as 'bar thugs,' unfortunately knowingly and willingly caused the scene at CHP last night."
"WE TOOK OVER WITHOUT CALLING THE POLICE OR SHEDDING BLOOD"
Stating that he repeatedly contacted the provincial administrators to conduct the process in accordance with party traditions and calmly, Gümrükçü described the resistance he faced with these words:
"Each time I received the response 'Come with the police, come with the court.' We were not allowed inside by people who were so carried away, lacking political consciousness and courtesy, that they even commented on the tie I wore, the shirt I put on, and the flower I carried. As a result, with a grassroots operation and the democratic will of the true owners of the organization, we took over CHP as of last night without shedding blood or calling the police. We would not have wanted it this way either, but I exhausted all avenues."
'MYSTERIOUS' BEDROOM NEXT TO THE OFFICE
The most striking moment of the press conference occurred during the tour of the provincial chair's office. Announcing that disciplinary procedures would be initiated against those involved in the tumultuous night, Gümrükçü showed journalists the bedroom built right next to the office.
Expressing confusion over this situation, which is unprecedented in party buildings, Gümrükçü reacted, saying, "There is a room that normally does not exist in any provincial headquarters, and we cannot understand why it was built here. A strange room, we couldn't figure it out. We left it as we found it."