05.05.2025 21:50
CHP leader Özgür Özel responded to claims of security deficiencies following the fist attack. Özel stated, "I do not see a security deficiency; I prefer to be an accessible politician rather than being surrounded by security." CHP officials, on the other hand, commented, "If there is a deficiency, it is the deficiency of the police. The biggest problem is that the General Chairman's vehicle was not allowed into the parking lot."
After the funeral ceremony of the Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the Istanbul Deputy of the DEM Party, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, at the Atatürk Cultural Center in Istanbul, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel was attacked with a punch. The perpetrator, Selçuk Tengioğlu (66), was detained.
ÖZGÜR ÖZEL: I DO NOT SEE A SECURITY DEFICIENCY
Following the attack, the CHP Central Executive Board convened today for about five hours. The meeting addressed the attack and the events that followed. In his initial assessment to his aides regarding the claims of security deficiencies, Özel stated, "I do not see a security deficiency; instead of being surrounded by security, I prefer to be an accessible and reachable politician. This is my choice," it was learned.
"IF THERE IS A DEFICIENCY, IT IS THE SECURITY'S DEFICIENCY"
CHP officials, in their evaluation regarding the issue, stated, "If there is a deficiency, it is the security's deficiency. The biggest problem is that the General Chairman's vehicle was not taken into the parking lot. Ensuring that the General Chairman enters and exits from a more secure area is the biggest problem. The responsibility for this lies with the security. The General Chairman is the highest level of protocol there. Despite the protection team's insistence to use that area repeatedly, the fact that they were not allowed raises many other questions. Factors such as the vehicle being outside and becoming vulnerable to such incidents strengthen the impression that the attack was organized," they said. Sources indicated that the CHP has filed a criminal complaint and that the party's legal experts are following the matter.
RALLIES WILL CONTINUE
Officials stated that research was conducted during and after the rallies in the cities where the rallies were held, and that the results of the research were positive, noting that there was a significant increase in the CHP's vote share in these cities after the rallies in Mersin, Yozgat, and Konya. CHP Chairman Özgür Özel will hold a rally in Istanbul's Beyazıt Square on Wednesday and another in Van on Saturday. Party officials expressed that they are also preparing to hold rallies in provinces such as Erzurum, Gümüşhane, and Bayburt.