Uyghur activists protest outside Chinese Consulate in Istanbul
Dec 02, 2022
Istanbul [Turkey], December 2 : Hundreds of Uyghur activists staged a protest near the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and burnt the posters of the deceased family members, symbolically depicting the Urumqi fire.
The agitation which began at 05.00 am (local time) on Wednesday included student activists from 'Uyghur Youth' and East Turkestan Federation (Dogu Turkestan Federasyon). 
The protestors shouted slogans against the CCP depicting their angst over the zero covid policy and atrocities against the Uyghurs in China.
East Turkestan Federation leader Habibullah Koseini led the protest outside the Chinese Consulate and sought support from the Turkish Muslims with whom East Turkestan Muslims share the heritage.
The leader also called upon Turkey to come out and share their pain.
Koseini added, "We are ready to lay down on this stone road and we will continue to do that for another three days in front of the Consulate".
The police looked surprised by the protestors turning up at such an early hour and some reportedly threatened to deport the Uyghur activists.
The scuffle with the protestors and the comments made went viral on social media resulting in public criticism.
Turkey Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Istanbul Governorate issued separate statements regretting and apologizing over the excessiveness of the expressions used by the police and promised an enquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile, Hidayetullah Oghuzhan has called for another demonstration near the Chinese Consulate on Sunday, December 4.
Activists in Turkey came out in large numbers last week as well to support the Uyghur community in China's Xinjiang province, who lost their lives in a residential building fire in Urumqi, local media reports said.
A protest was carried out by Uyghur activists in Istanbul on November 26.
The protest was held near the historic Hagia Sophia mosque during the wee hours where Uyghurs gathered braving the cold shivering winter, according to media reports.
The ongoing demonstrations are one of the largest uprisings the communist country has seen since the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement.
