Response to the allegations that the employee who cleaned the Atatürk monument was fired from President Uzun.

Before the celebrations of the 105th anniversary of the Sivas Congress, the way the statue of Atatürk was cleaned by the municipal teams had caused reactions on social media. Sivas Mayor Adem Uzun clarified the allegations that the cleaning staff who caused the reactions was fired, saying, "The superiors of our relevant staff and our director of cleaning services have been relieved of their administrative duties. There is absolutely no situation of any of our staff being fired."

In his statement, Mayor Uzun said, "Due to the images reflected on the cameras during the cleaning of the statue of Atatürk in our Historical City Square and the subsequent social media posts, it was necessary to make such a statement." Uzun continued his statement as follows:

"THE ACTIONS OF OUR STAFF WERE MISREPRESENTED BY THE MEDIA"

Before the wreath-laying ceremonies at the Atatürk Monument, which are part of the September 4th celebrations that we celebrate with great enthusiasm every year, the mentioned area was cleaned with great care and prepared for the ceremony. However, just minutes before the start of the ceremony, the actions of our cleaning staff, who quickly moved due to a new stain on the top of the statue of Atatürk, were misrepresented by the media in a way that could be misunderstood. It is not possible for us to accept that the cleaning work of our staff is seen as disrespect to the esteemed memory of the founder of our Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

"THEY WERE RELIEVED OF THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES, NO STAFF WAS FIRED"

Furthermore, I would like to clarify and put an end to the misinformation circulating especially on social media, and share accurate information with you firsthand. I would like to state that the superiors of our relevant staff and our director of cleaning services have been relieved of their administrative duties. There is absolutely no situation of any of our staff being fired. Similarly, our deputy mayor responsible for cleaning services has also taken responsibility for the misunderstandings caused by this incident and has requested to be relieved of his duties. In our city, where the foundations of the Republic were laid, I condemn the sharing and statements aimed at overshadowing the events carried out at a high level this year, and I kindly request that the news produced without our knowledge not be trusted. I extend my respects to you, esteemed members of the press, and the public.