CHP Deputy Chair Aysu Bankoğlu responded to criticism regarding the EOKA photo used in the 100th-anniversary video shared by CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Responding to a question from T24, Bankoğlu said, ’The segment between the 50th and 59th seconds of the video tells the story of Ecevit burying these traitors in the Beşparmak Mountains.“.
We know that hope lies in the sovereignty of the people… Happy 100th anniversary to our Republican People’s Party! pic.twitter.com/4gV3Yrqig8
- Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (@kilicdarogluk) September 9, 2023
In the 100th-anniversary video shared by CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on his social media account, the inclusion of a photo of EOKA—the group that led Greek nationalist attacks on Turkish villages in the run-up to the Cyprus Peace Operation—had drawn attention. The CHP has now responded to previous criticism regarding a photograph printed on a state lottery ticket in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) dated August 8, 2022, which had sparked backlash after the incident was reported in the media.
In a written response to a question from T24, Aysu Bankoğlu, the CHP Deputy Chairperson in charge of Public Relations and Communications, drew attention to the Beşparmak Mountains and Bülent Ecevit—which appeared in the video after the photograph—and said the following:
“The Story of How the Traitors Were Buried in the Beşparmak Mountains”
“It is evident that our short film—which tells the story of how Turkey’s founding party, 100 years ago, set out on a path to defend our country’s land and people—is, as always, being deliberately smeared by certain groups through a disinformation campaign. It appears that this latest smear campaign is attempting to discredit the film based on a single frame depicting the great victory achieved in Cyprus. The segment between the 50th and 59th seconds of the film tells the story of Ecevit burying these traitors in the Beşparmak Mountains.’
“They’re trying to launch a disinformation campaign through this section”
Bankoğlu, who argued that this segment of the video was intended to create a propaganda campaign, made the following statements: “This segment illustrates how the joy of those who displayed such treacherous behavior toward our nation was choked in their throats, how it was buried behind the Beşparmak Mountains, and how the world’s largest flag—a symbol of our struggle for independence—was depicted above them.”.
“It’s impossible to expect those who cannot defend our land to understand this”
As depicted in our film *100th Year*, it is very clear what fate awaits those who lay a hand on our flag. Undoubtedly, from the day it was founded to the present, the Republican People’s Party has been the greatest guarantor of our lands, our flag, and our sovereignty. It is impossible to expect those who are attempting to manipulate public perception with a single photograph taken from the film—and those who have failed to defend our land and flag at the Tomb of Suleiman Shah and on the Aegean Islands—to understand this.”