January 29 commemorated in Germany
The commemoration event in Schweinfurt started with a minute of silence. Then ABTTF Vice President Ali Osman made an opening speech and greeted the guests. Afterwards, President of the Schweinfurt Association Mustafa Deli, in his speech, thanked the guests for their participation in the commemoration event organized on the occasion of the anniversary of this special day, which was a turning point in the struggle for rights of the Western Thrace Turkish society. Deli stated that the spirit of struggle on January 29 will always be remembered and will continue, and wished that the unity and solidarity among the Western Thrace Turks would be permanent.
After the speeches, the events leading to the mass protest on January 29, 1988, the protest march and the attacks on the Turks of Western Thrace on January 29, 1990, were screened.
In Gütersloh, the event started with a minute of silence followed by a greeting speech by ABTTF Vice President Fuat Ali. Speaking at the commemoration event, İbrahim İbram, the head of the host Gütersloh association, stated that the Western Thrace Turkish society will always remember the 29th of January and will never let it be forgotten.
After the speeches, the video explaining the meaning and importance of 29 January Social Solidarity and National Resistance Day was watched together. The commemoration event ended with food and dessert for the guests.
The commemoration event in Mechede started with a minute of silence. Then ABTTF Vice President Aydın Ahmet greeted the guests and made a presentation on the meaning and importance of the "29 January Day of Social Solidarity and National Resistance" for the Western Thrace Turkish society. In his presentation, Ahmet conveyed the process leading up to the march to claim rights on January 29, 1988, and said that he filled the squares in Komotini by demonstrating the democratic reaction of the Western Thrace Turkish society, which opposed the closure of associations named "Turk" and the denial of their identity. Emphasizing that the Western Thrace Turkish community was able to get their citizenship rights back after the march, but the human and minority rights continued to be violated, Ahmet noted that their education and religious autonomy were usurped.
