There are Demonstrations in 20 Countries on 28th of April for Sur and Hasankeyf

Environmental organizations, which gathered in Diyarbarkır, declared 28th of April the day of global action for Sur and Diyabakır and called for participation in the demonstrations in 20 countries.

23 April 2018, Reha Ruhavioglu

From their press statement: “These cities are common heritages of humanity, they belong to everyone. That’s why; they are of everyone’s interest. We call for everyone to take responsibility and embrace the ancient cities of Sur and Hasankeyf, help us protect them, join the demonstrations which are near to them.”

We, as Civil Pages, interviewed Büşra Cizrelioğlu Sadak, co-speaker of “No to Sur’s Destruction Platform”.

Does the date, 28th of April, have a special meaning? What is the ultimate goal of Global Action Day for Sur and Hasankeyf?

After 28th of April, some international organizations will have global meetings. And we try to forge public opinion at an international level to keep the two cities under protection. Our ultimate goal is to stop political, economical and cultural exploitation over these cities.

What do you think the environmental organizations should do stop falling behind the public’s agenda?

If people’s lives are in danger, historical, cultural and natural preservation stays in the background. It is humane. Environmental organizations should protect the memory without falling into any ethnical, religious, denominational trap. We think that environmental organizations do not have enough space to act and they caught up with political, cyclical waves. However, we will never give up on our fight to stop this destruction of our culture, history and nature. We will continue saying “You cannot destroy, sell or move Sur and Hasankeyf!”