Protest in Mizanli, İskeçe: “Our Turkish Minority schools must be reopened!”

The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace once again took to the streets to protest against Greece’s discriminatory education policies. Parents, community representatives, and local residents gathered in front of the closed Turkish Minority Primary School in Mizanli village, İskeçe, demanding the reopening of the school.

The protest was organized by the Union of Minority School Boards, condemning the Greek state’s unjust practices. Although the Mizanli Turkish Minority Primary School was shut down years ago on the grounds of “low student numbers,” the minority community argues that there are now sufficient students, yet the school remains closed—denying children their right to education.

Prominent figures attending the protest included the President of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Board and Mufti of İskeçe Mustafa Trampa, the elected Mufti of Komotini İbrahim Şerif, Friendship Equality Peace (FEP) Party President Çiğdem Asafoğlu, MPs Hüseyin Zeybek and Burhan Baran, as well as representatives of Turkish minority institutions and many citizens.

Strong Message from Mufti Trampa

Speaking first at the gathering, Mufti Mustafa Trampa underlined the purpose of the protest:

“Our children’s right to education cannot be obstructed. The refusal to reopen the school despite a sufficient number of students is unacceptable. This violates both the Treaty of Lausanne and the principle of equal citizenship,” he said.

Protest Declaration Read in Turkish and Greek

Ersan Ömer, Vice President of the Union of Minority School Boards, read out the official protest declaration in Turkish. The statement highlighted that for years the Greek state has closed down dozens of Turkish Minority schools under the pretext of “low student numbers” and refuses to reopen them even when numbers rise again.

To ensure the message reached the wider public, village resident and former candidate for the Eastern Macedonia–Thrace Regional Council, İsmet Efendi, also read the statement in Greek.

“Double Standards Are Clear”

The declaration particularly drew attention to the Greek state’s double standards:

• Last year, in the village of Argiri (Karditsa), a school was reopened for just one student.
• This year, on Keçi Island, a primary school resumed operation for only two students.

“As minority citizens, we welcome such services,” the declaration noted, “but the fact that the same policy is not applied to Turkish Minority schools deeply saddens us.”

Clear Demands

The protesters set out their demands as follows:

• Immediate reopening of the Mizanli Turkish Minority Primary School.
• An end to discriminatory policies against minority schools.
• Protection of educational rights in line with the Treaty of Lausanne.
• Education authorities to halt unjust practices.

“We Will Not Give Up Our Right to Education”

At the close of the demonstration, the crowd once again chanted: “Education is our right, it cannot be denied!”

The declaration concluded with a firm statement:

“As Turks of Western Thrace, we will never give up our right to equal citizenship or the educational rights granted to us under the Treaty of Lausanne. Today we stand here for Mizanli, for the school that should already be open, for the voices of children that should be echoing in its yard, and above all—for our right to education!”