İSTANBUL - University students, who voiced their housing problems in parks, called out to the government, "if you can't find a solution, do not occupy those offices ."
Protests by university students against the increase in house rents and exorbitant dormitory prices in many cities, especially in Istanbul, Ankara, and Kocaeli, continue. Organized under the slogan, “We cannot take shelter” and “Homeless people”, students staying in parks and squares to solve their problems. Despite encountering police obstacles from time to time, the students are determined to continue their protests until their problems are resolved.
STUDENTS CANNOT TAKE SHELTER
Sıla Öztürk, one of the students who stays in a park in protest against the housing problem in Moda Beach in Istanbul Kadıköy, said that all students face the problem of accommodation. Expressing that students were left without shelter due to the increase in rent prices and dormitories with insufficient capacity, Öztürk stated that the authorities did not take a step towards their problems and turned a blind eye to their problem. Adding that they were marginalized for conveying their problem from day one, Öztürk emphasized that the current government is far from solving the basic economic problems of the people.
CALL FOR OTHER STUDENTS
Expressing that they will sleep in the parks until their problems are resolved, Öztürk said, "As students who cannot take shelter, we know that we have no choice to be in solidarity with each other. We can only succeed if our meetings in the parks grow. It is one of the urgent needs of today's students to come together with their common problems."
DO NOT OCCUPY THOSE OFFICES
Özlem Özdemir, one of the students who continue their protests in Maçka Park in Şişli, emphasized that the capacity of the dormitories was not enough for the students. Özdemir continued as follows: “Our friends from different cities will stay on the streets unless they are placed in dormitories. A solution must be found. We must all raise our voices for the government to solve the problem. If they can't come up with a solution, they should not occupy those offices any longer.”
LET THE MINISTER COME AND STAY HERE
Protesting the statement of Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu regarding the dormitory conditions, Öztürk said: "Let him come and stay in these dormitories. We stay in rooms for 4-5 people. The dormitory internet receptipon is terrible. We can't do our homework and projects. The food in the dorms are horrible. Because the dorms are working with surplus capacity, the food served to students is insufficient. If they really think these dorms are like the palaces they live, we can open our doors and wellcome them to stay here any time."