23.04.2026 15:20
The events at the April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day ceremony held in Gaziantep did not suit the spirit of the holiday. The CHP group turned their backs on the children's mehter team singing the Mehter March as a protest. CHP Gaziantep Provincial Chairman Vakkas Acar said, 'We protest that our children are still being encouraged to adopt the palace culture.'
The 23rd National Sovereignty and Children's Day and the 106th anniversary of the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly were celebrated with great enthusiasm in Gaziantep, as in all parts of Turkey. The celebrations were marked by a protest from the Republican People's Party (CHP) Provincial Chairman Vakkas Acar and the provincial administration.
THEY TURNED THEIR BACKS ON THE CHILDREN
The CHP administration protested the performance by turning their backs during a show by a mehter team consisting of young students at the ceremony. Explaining the reasons for the protest, CHP Provincial Chairman Vakkas Acar said, "On April 23, National Sovereignty and Children's Day, a day when sovereignty was taken from the palace and given to the nation, we protest that our children are still being encouraged to adopt this palace culture. We absolutely do not accept this. To show that we do not accept this, we did not watch and turned our backs on those pure, innocent children because we oppose this aspiration they want to instill in them. We were definitely reacting to the mehter team."
THOSE PRESENT WERE ASTONISHED
While the CHP's protest was met with astonishment by those present, the children's mehter and other performances received great applause. At the event, Gaziantep Provincial Director of National Education Önder Arpacı gave a speech regarding the meaning and significance of the day.
HARSH REACTION FROM THE AK PARTY
AK Party General Secretary and Izmir Deputy Eyyüp Kadir İnan harshly criticized the CHP. İnan said, "Have you become so exhausted that you conduct your politics over the innocence of children?" İnan also expressed his reaction with the words, "It is impossible for a structure that turns its back on children to face the future of this nation."