A black wreath laid at the Greek Consulate in Edirne
A black wreath was laid in front of the Consulate in Edirne on the 202nd anniversary of the massacre of Muslim Turks in Peloponnese. The members of the Federation of Balkan Turks stated that they did not forget the Peloponnese massacre and would not let it be forgotten.
Members of non-governmental organisations gathered under the leadership of Edirne Balkan Turks Federation marched in front of the Consulate with a Turkish flag and a banner reading "We have not forgotten the Peloponnese massacre, we will not let you forget it" and left a black wreath on the door of the Consulate.
Macit Mutlu, Deputy President of the Balkan Turks Federation, said in his speech here that more than 40 thousand Muslim Turks were massacred in the Peloponnese in 1821.
Stating that it will not be possible to erase the massacres of Peloponnese, Tripoli, Navarin and Çamerya by the Greeks from history, Mutlu said, "When we come to the present day, the massacres committed by Greece have changed their dimension; they have turned into massacres of culture, education and belief."
Mutlu stated that as the Federation of Balkan Turks, they support every activity in which Turks in Western Thrace defend their rights and they condemn the massacres committed in the past.
Mutlu said, "We do not want any ethnic group or belief to be bullied, and we declare that we stand by those who are bullied. We respectfully commemorate our ancestors who gave their lives in all massacres in the Balkans. Although 202 years have passed, we have not forgotten the Peloponnese massacre and we will not let it be forgotten."