United for Western Thrace: National identity and resistance march held in Kocaeli
A march and commemoration ceremony was held in Kocaeli to mark “January 29 National Solidarity and Resistance Day,” a date regarded as a historic turning point in the struggle for rights and freedoms of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace.
The event was organized by the Western Thrace Turks Solidarity Association and began with a procession from Antikkapı Wedding Hall in İzmit to the National Identity and Resistance Monument, with participants carrying Turkish flags in a symbolic show of unity and remembrance.
The program was attended by prominent figures from both Western Thrace and Türkiye, including Mustafa Trampa, Mufti of İskeçe and President of the Advisory Board of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, and journalist Ozan Ahmetoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the İskeçe Minority High School. Also present were Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş, Kocaeli Metropolitan Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, İzmit District Governor Yusuf Ziya Çelikkaya, Başiskele Mayor Yasin Özlü, representatives of political parties, public institutions, and numerous citizens.
Following the march, Hasan Küçük, President of the Western Thrace Turks Solidarity Association, delivered a press statement emphasizing that Greece continues to systematically violate the rights of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, particularly in the fields of education, religious freedom, association, property, and ethnic identity.
Küçük underlined that binding rulings of the European Court of Human Rights have remained deliberately unimplemented for years, criticizing what he described as the silence of the international community.
“This double standard in the application of human rights is unacceptable. Turning a blind eye to the violations faced by the Turkish minority in Western Thrace constitutes a betrayal of universal human rights. The Turkish presence in Western Thrace is an undeniable reality. Any attempt to deny Turkish identity is a direct challenge to the Lausanne Peace Treaty, the European Convention on Human Rights, and universal legal norms,” Küçük stated.
He reaffirmed their determination to continue advocating for the Western Thrace cause, describing the struggle as an expression of national memory, dignity, and legitimate resistance.
The commemoration concluded with a prayer led by Mufti Mustafa Trampa, followed by the laying of carnations at the National Identity and Resistance Monument.
