The Sivas Massacre - Das Sivas - Massaker - 3/5 - Sivas madımak katliamı

and the sound of shattering glass must be reaching your ears.” “Our situation is dire and critical. Please take necessary measures.” – I answered him with reassuring words. “The Governor will surely do what’s needed. Fear not,” I said. Then I called the Governor. Again and again he said: “Don’t worry, we have sufficient forces. We will control the situation.” ♪ Music ♪ ~While Erdal İnönü took the aeroplane to Ankara —his fears allayed, the hopeful anticipation continued in the Madımak Hotel. “They will come in any case,” they thought. – We wait and hope to be rescued. We do not expect death at all. Our kids, authors and our lady friends were sitting on the upper floors. They were bored, certainly. Our girls were braiding their hair. Some were reading books. Some were singing. Asaf Kocak was playing his harmonica. – “We want the Governor!...” – There is a photo of three poets sitting on the staircase, you know. Somebody asked: “What if the situation escalates, and something happens to one of us? What would we do?” “The survivors would write poems for the dead,” said Metin. [Tick-Tock] ~According to the Governor’s report there were 15000 demonstrators in front of Madımak at 6:00 pm. The police forces were unable to resist any longer. – For 5 hours the police and gendarmerie stopped the attackers from entering Madımak. Some shot in the air, some threw garbage, some built human barriers, and sometimes, the police unfortunately... supported the demonstrators. I can’t say that such things didn’t happen. At that point, we were in a crisis. – “My dear fellows, I address you as a brother. I’m not from the police, I am a brother of yours. For Allah’s sake, if you love Allah, please let us disband now. We have expressed our resentment well enough.” ~Upon the request of the Governor, the Mayor Temel Karamollaoğlu and the country commissioner of the Great Union Party addressed the crowd with speakers. However, these speeches were not soothing, but instigating. – I heard the Mayor speaking. Following the announcement, a voice told the crowd: “May your Jihad be blessed.” – “One. The festivals have been cancelled.” There was a great uproar, and a vigorous applause. “Two,” he said, “the statue of Pir Sultan Abdal has been removed.” The same crowd writhed with the same delight, in a state of trance. “Those who have come here for this festival shall be expelled from the city soon enough,” says the announcement, and the crowd is excited again. – I’m alleged to have said: “May your Jihad be blessed” Well, it’s not a reasonable statement. Now, I think one can say “blessed Friday prayers” at the beginning of one’s speech, to strike a dialogue with the people. But whereof should one wish a blessed jihad? ~At that moment Governor Karabilgin contacted Tansu Çiller, who has been the Prime Minister for two weeks. He asked for immediate air reinforcements. The Prime Minister was excited. – She spoke, well, in a very clear language, giving orders. “Do whatever you must. Let no harm come to anybody.” The Prime Minister gave such orders. ~But it was already too late. The weakened police barrier was just in front of the hotel now. The firefighters were in the public square, yet the crowd prevented their advance. Around 7 o’clock, the toppled statue was dragged to the public square and destroyed by the demonstrators. After this, the herd psychology took over. – “Oh Allah, in the name of Allah, Allah is great!” [Tick-Tock] ~At 7 pm, the chief of general staff, full general Doğan Güneş called the Governor over the telephone. “These people are religious fanatics. Let’s purge them,” he said. He said that the brigadier general Ahmet Yücetürk would offer help with the full force of his brigade. – “I have 6000 soldiers there” he said, “dear governor, at your service.” I said: “Dear general, do not tell me these things.” “The brigadier general is here. I am handing over the phone to him.” “Tell it to him. Give your order to him,” I said. I held up the phone. The brigadier general stood up, and took it. “As you wish, general” he said. He shut off the phone, and left. ~The chief of general staff Doğan Güneş had told this to the garrison commander: “I want Aziz Nesin alive.” Only then did the brigadier general Yücetürk learn that Aziz Nesin was in the Madımak Hotel. He took action. When one of the demonstrators climbed into the hotel and started plundering, the victims, much excited, were waiting for the military to arrive. – Troops of 20, 30, and 40 soldiers began to arrive at the public square. They took up position to protect the army club. I saw all of this. Unfortunately, I witnessed it all. I was not under any threat, but Madımak was in distress. They were supposed to gather there. But these small groups of soldiers, arriving piece by piece took protective measures around stores and jewellery shops. These spots were irrelevant, and none of the soldiers stationed thus were under any threat. ~Soon, a small squad entered the public square by the Madımak Hotel. Yet the soldiers around the commander’s car were petrified upon hearing the slogans. – “Soldiers [go] to Bosnia! Soldiers [go] to Bosnia!...” ~Now a living barrier stood between the hotel and the soldiers. While the commander was in his car, a colonel addressed the crowd. ♪ Military Music ♪ After a few minutes of negotiation, the soldiers understood their weakness against the crowd, and retreated, for everybody to see. [Applause] This retreat was like a death sentence. The berserk crowd was singing a different tune now. – “Long live our soldiers!...”