Tanju Özcan, who is under investigation, did not back down: "I will continue to do so."

Mayor of Bolu, Tanju Özcan, who is under investigation for his remarks about Syrians in Turkey, made a statement regarding the issue.

"I HAVE NO REGRETS"

Özcan expressed that he does not regret his actions, stating, "I have no regrets about what I said. I have no regrets about what I did. When I ran for election in 2019, I made this promise; 'I have no chance to protect my country, but I have a chance to protect my city. Therefore, I will not give a single penny in aid from the municipal budget to any Syrian or Iraqi refugee. I will not issue business licenses. I will cancel those that have been issued. I will not leave a single Arabic sign in the city. Because I do not want them to settle in Bolu.' Am I regretful for what I did? No, I am not. Were my actions legally compliant in terms of administrative law? Probably not. If they had wanted to, they could have filed a lawsuit in the administrative court. In the future, I will be referred to as a hero in the pages of history. Those who opened this investigation against me today will be declared traitors in the pages of history. Whether it is unlawful or not, I did not want them to settle in Bolu. And I succeeded in that. I am not disturbed by this at all," he said.

"I WILL CONTINUE TO DO WHAT I DO"

Tanju Özcan stated that he is not afraid of anyone, saying, "Honestly, I did not do anything unjust. I treated our citizens equally. Therefore, I have no doubt about my integrity. Anyone who wants to take action can try. Some social media trolls have said, 'Let a trustee be appointed.' Well, I am here. To appoint a trustee, one must be affiliated with terrorism. If the Minister can find any affiliation of mine with a terrorist organization, I will hang myself in front of the municipality without waiting for a trustee to be appointed. I am doing my part to protect the interests of the Turkish people, the future of Turkish youth, and to protect Turkish tradesmen. But they are doing everything they can to feed, raise, and empower the Syrians. I am a Turkist, they are refugee lovers. Well, an investigation has been opened against me. Whatever anyone does, I have no doubt about my integrity. I am not afraid of anyone. If necessary, I will continue to do what I do," he expressed.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan stated in a YouTube program that, "I unlawfully canceled the business licenses of Syrians. If they had gone to administrative court, they could have won. Seeing that they still haven't left Bolu, I raised their water bills by 10 times. This was also unlawful," he said. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced on social media, "An investigation has been initiated by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Mayor of Bolu due to his statements regarding Syrians in our country."