Victims of the Sivas Massacre commemorated in London

On July 2, 1993, 33 intellectuals and artists, along with two hotel staff members, lost their lives when the Madımak Hotel in Sivas was set on fire during the Pir Sultan Abdal Festival.

The British Alevi Federation (BAF) commemorated the 31st anniversary of the massacre with an event at the Madımak Memorial in Stoke Newington. The event took place on Tuesday, July 2, at 6:00 PM in Stoke Newington’s Common Park. The BAF released a statement highlighting the following points:

“31 years ago, reactionary, fanatic, and fascist mindsets in Turkey massacred Alevis and intellectuals at the Madımak Hotel in Sivas. Despite the passage of 31 years, little has changed in Turkey. Alevis, intellectuals, democrats, and leftists still face the repercussions of an anti-democratic Turkey. For instance, our founding president İsrafil Erbil was detained and taken to court for his rightful statements about the Maraş Massacre when he intended to commemorate the victims of the Sivas Massacre.”

On July 2, 1993, 33 intellectuals and artists, along with two hotel staff members, lost their lives when the Madımak Hotel in Sivas was set on fire by a radical group. This tragic event is known in Turkish history as the “Sivas Massacre.”