Open letter from villagers against the olive law

Villagers protesting and holding a vigil in Cemal Süreyya Park in Ankara against a proposed law that would open olive groves to mining activities issued a statement titled "An Open Letter to the Public." The letter, which stated, "We are the villagers of this country. We engage in farming and animal husbandry," drew attention to the protests that have been taking place in Cemal Süreyya Park in Ankara since July 3rd.

The letter, which stated that they had left their threshing floors and animals behind, said regarding the bill submitted to Parliament on June 13th, "In short, this bill opens up the lands we, the villagers, live on to mining activities. It bypasses other laws protecting our forests, pastures, and olive groves. The bottom line is, if this law passes, our lands will be seized because mining companies want them to. Our olives and villages will be forcibly moved. They will force us to migrate."

The letter, which stated that the proposed law would destroy forests, olive groves, pastures, and water resources, included the following: "Since June 13th, hundreds of villagers have come to Ankara four times. We shared our demands with the public, held meetings, explained our problems, and stated that we do not want the law and do not consent to it. We are helpless. We have started a vigil. Because we know what will happen to us if this bill passes."

The letter emphasized that the vigil would continue until the bill was withdrawn, and called on political parties and the public to do so, saying:

"We want all our representatives, regardless of party affiliation, to hear our voices and see us. We are ready to meet with all our representatives and express our voice.

We urge all relevant officials, especially our representatives who introduced the bill to Parliament, to withdraw it. We invite representatives of all political parties, unions, and civil society organizations to visit our vigil. We urge you to listen to us.

We urge everyone to share this justified voice on social media and share it with your family, friends, and neighbors. We urge all citizens to express to the leaders of their respective political parties that they support our demands and expect them to take a stance in this direction.

We call on all local organizations, especially local associations and non-governmental organizations in the regions affected by the mines, to embrace our demands and make our voices heard.

We expect all civil society organizations, unions, students, retirees—in short, all citizens—who are not in Ankara and wish to support us to work wherever they are to make our voices heard. Any work you undertake with the "Withdraw the Mining Law" initiative will support us.

If, despite all our requests, our representatives ignore us and bring this bill to the General Assembly of Parliament, we call on all citizens who love their air, water, and soil, especially the villagers of our country, to participate en masse in the meeting we will hold in front of Parliament.

OPEN LETTER TO THE PUBLIC

"We are currently in Ankara, far from our homeland. We have been sleeping in Cemal Süreyya Park, near the Turkish Grand National Assembly, since July 3rd. We left everything behind and came to seek refuge in the public, our country, and our people." #WithdrawMiningLaw pic.twitter.com/x4e9L4ceb8

— Akbelen We Won't Give Our Home 🌱🫒🌲 (@ikizkoydireniyo) July 12, 2025

Source: ANKA