27.06.2026 12:02
The management crisis in CHP, which began with court rulings, is generating new developments every day. After Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu canceled his Istanbul program and visit to a cemevi due to protests, slogans of "Traitor Kemal" rising from the crowd welcoming Özgür Özel caused an earthquake within the party. Gürsel Tekin noted that the party memberships of 63 people captured on camera have been suspended.
The shifting balance of power within the CHP, altered by court decisions, has reached a new level with the slogan crisis at Garip Dede Cemevi. Following the chants against Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu during a program attended by Özgür Özel, Gürsel Tekin announced that 63 members have been expelled from the party.
BACKED OUT OF ATTENDING AT THE LAST MOMENT
There were hectic hours before the visit of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was reinstated as CHP Chairman by a court decision, to Istanbul. The welcoming convoy planned for Kılıçdaroğlu was unexpectedly canceled at the last moment. CHP Chairman Kılıçdaroğlu refrained from attending the On Muharrem Orucu program at Garip Dede Cemevi.
“TRAITOR” CHANTS AT THE CEMEVI
That same evening, CHP Group Chairman Özgür Özel, who attended the program at the cemevi, encountered intense interest and a crowd in the garden. However, as Özel tried to move through the crowd, chants of “Traitor Kemal” targeting Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu rose from the gathering. This protest sparked controversy.
RAPID SANCTIONS
Following the slogan crisis, Gürsel Tekin announced a harsh sanction. In a statement on his social media account, Tekin noted that the images and photos from the cemevi had been reviewed and announced that the party memberships of 63 CHP members involved in the protest had been temporarily suspended.
In his public statement, Gürsel Tekin said the following:
"As a result of evaluations regarding the incidents at Garip Dede Cemevi, which are contrary to the spirit, etiquette, and traditions of places of faith, the party memberships of 63 Republican People's Party members identified from images, statements, and photos have been temporarily suspended. Cemevi and dergahs are not places for politics, polarization, and hate speech, but for unity, brotherhood, consent, and social peace. No one can turn these sacred spaces into a stage for political vendettas and divisive rhetoric."
"DO NOT EXPLOIT THE GOODWILL OF THE ALEVI COMMUNITY FOR POLITICAL SCORES"
Reminding that places of worship are bridges for social peace, Tekin continued:
"Any attitude that incites people against each other in a place of faith and legitimizes insults and targeting is unacceptable, both politically and morally. The essence of the Alevi faith is not hatred but love, not division but unity. No behavior that damages social peace, disrupts the fabric of places of faith, and exploits the goodwill of the Alevi community for political scores can go unanswered. Respect for places of faith is respect for social peace."