09.05.2026 20:11
The debates rising over the Manifest group, set to perform in Gaziantep, turned into tension in the evening hours. Before the concert, which 60 non-governmental organizations called to cancel, a scuffle broke out between protesters gathered in front of the Odeon Performing Arts Center and citizens attending the event. While security forces established a wide security corridor between the parties, a state of alert continues in the area due to protests accompanied by janissary marches and convoys.
Protests against the music group Manifest, which was set to perform tonight in Gaziantep, turned into tension in the evening hours. Before the concert, which around 60 non-governmental organizations including Ensar Foundation, IHH, and Eğitim-Bir-Sen called for cancellation, clashes broke out between protest groups and citizens arriving for the concert. Extensive security measures were taken in the city center, and it was reported that tension remained high in the security corridor established around the Gaziantep Odeon Performing Arts Center.
SECURITY CORRIDOR IN THE CITY CENTER: SIDES CONFRONT EACH OTHER
The protesting crowd gathered in front of the Gaziantep Odeon Performing Arts Center demanded the cancellation of the concert with slogans. Meanwhile, tension that started with verbal altercations between citizens trying to enter the concert area and the group quickly turned into physical contact. Numerous riot police units dispatched to the area set up barriers between the sides, creating a wide security corridor.
PROTEST CONVOY WITH MEHTER MARCH AND FLAGS
The tension that lasted throughout the day turned into a vehicle convoy upon the call of associations united under the "Gaziantep Family Platform." Dozens of vehicles and motorcycles adorned with Turkish flags toured the city center accompanied by mehter marches and honking. Security measures were heightened to the maximum around the concert area, the destination of the convoy moving with the slogan "Gaziantep is rising."
60 NGOS SPEAK OUT FOR "MORAL VALUES"
The #ManifestKonseriIptalEdilsin campaign launched on social media under the leadership of Eğitim-Bir-Sen Gaziantep Branch No. 2 quickly turned into a mass reaction. In a statement signed jointly by approximately 60 foundations and associations, it was claimed that the event damaged the city's moral and cultural fabric.
HEIGHTENED ALERT CONTINUES AROUND ODEON
As the planned start time of the concert approached, the crowd around the Odeon Performing Arts Center did not disperse. Police forces took control of all roads in the area to prevent any provocation, while traffic flow in the region was disrupted due to the waiting of both groups. Authorities called on citizens to remain calm, while it was learned that the security perimeter was expanded.