In recognition of the 1000th week of the Saturday Mothers’ protests, a solidarity action was held in London to highlight their struggle for justice for the disappeared.
The London Democratic Unity Platform organized a press conference in Trafalgar Square to mark the 1000th session of the Saturday Mothers. The event featured a sit-in, drawing many participants, including journalist and writer Aydın Çubukcu and Feyzellah Cinpolat, who both delivered speeches in Turkish. Helin Peköz read the press statement on behalf of the London Democratic Unity Platform.
Peköz emphasized that the practice of enforced disappearances, employed by ruling classes to suppress social opposition, occurs in many countries worldwide. She noted, “Progressive and revolutionary forces and the relatives of the disappeared have managed to expose this crime against humanity and push back against it by developing social opposition and organized struggle. The decades-long struggle of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina and the ongoing struggle of the Saturday Mothers in Turkey since 1995, culminating in their 1000th session on May 25, serve as guiding examples.”
Peköz pointed out that the Saturday Mothers’ ongoing fight to uncover the fate of those who disappeared in custody and to hold those responsible accountable continues despite all attacks by the ‘fascist leadership.’ She said, “The long-standing struggle of the Saturday Mothers, despite all obstacles, amplifies the honor of the struggle for all oppressed groups whose voices are stifled, who are exploited, ignored, and whose futures are stolen. The palace regime, aiming to suppress revolutionaries and socialists with detention and arrest operations, has attempted to silence the Saturday Mothers by blocking Galatasaray Square for months and preventing their gatherings to cover up its crimes against humanity.”
After the press conference, Seyit Pirsus recited a lament during the sit-in.