MUĞLA – Young people who came to the Akbelen resistance area from different cities of the country demanded that all young people come to Akbelen and expand the resistance. The tree felling, which started to open a colliery in the Akbelen Forest in Muğla’s Milas district, continues on its 6th day, while the support for the vigil started by the villagers is growing. Most of the citizens coming to Akbelen are young people.
‘WE MUST HAVE OUR FUTURE’
Beyda Ceylan, one of the young people in the field of vigil, emphasized the importance of the struggle for ecology. Stating that the destruction is not limited to Muğla, Ceylan said, “We must fight against all ecological destructions in Kazdağları or Cudi, İkizdere or anywhere else. It is important for our future that we own this place and win here. Especially at the stage of the climate crisis, disasters increase due to extreme temperatures, biodiversity and water resources decrease. In the future, we will have difficulties in reaching the right to clean air or clean water. Forests are very important to prevent this. That’s why, as youth, we must protect both our nature and our future.”
‘WE CAN ADD DYNAMISM TO AKBELEN’
Ahmet Caner Altay, who said that he came to shoulder the burden of the long struggle in Akbelen, also stated that the youth should come to the region to add their energy and dynamism to Akbelen. Altay said, “There are 3 thermal power plants in and around Milas. A few weeks ago, we shot a video in front of the Yatağan thermal power plant. Even though we stood there for 20 minutes, our throat was irritated and we learned that the staff there were also sick. When we see all this, we see the effects of the climate crisis. We can feel the effects of the climate crisis. Instead of dragging this youth into despair, it should pave the way for the struggle. We have to organize more and turn this crisis into a field of resistance.”
Saying, “We are in Akbelen to protect nature,” Sude Timagur continued: “There is a genocide not only against people, but also against nature. Besides Akbelen, many of our forests are under threat. If we leave Akbelen unclaimed, we will have left all the forests unclaimed. These forests are ours and forests are an existence.”
‘INTERVENTION TO THE FUTURE’
Arda Buldan, who came to solidarity with Akbelen, said, “I don’t see the invasion of the forest by the capital just as a massacre of nature. As long as we do not speak out against such interventions as young people, the state operates more repression mechanisms. Not only ecologically, but also unqualified universities and making students a cheap labor force is an intervention to the youth. We don’t want to be out of breath either. Every tree is an oxygen. I invite everyone to the resistance here. Let’s not leave the people alone,” he said.
Elif Çolak, on the other hand, pointed out that the AKP government has its signature in all kinds of destruction. Çolak, who was still a child during the Gezi protests, stated that the same policies were applied there as well. Çolak continued: “I saw that the Gezi protests had a collective infrastructure. Actually, it’s the same here. This place is very important in the sense that I will come and it will be the fire of other resistances. I am here because I believe that we will win by resisting. I am also an energy systems engineer student and ecology is one of my main fields. We saw a perspective that all green areas were destroyed and they only offered us through concretization. That is why I will resist this system.”
